08 May 2019
Tests start on first design of 'wafer scale' spacecraft
... by Breakthrough Initiatives for its Starshot mission. Unlike the light sail however, the wafercraft will be powered by a laser array on Earth in a process known as Directed Energy Propulsion. Put basically this type of propulsion uses energy beamed...
March 2015
Sky links: from multi-satellite systems to nano-launchers
... possibility of using very high, even optical, frequencies for satellite-to-satellite channels should lead to resource conservation. Lasers & ‘space garbage trucks’ Currently, the main sources of space debris are the last stage of launch rockets...
March 2015
ARTES and the world of satcoms
... addressing various market and R&D requirements. These include a Laser Communications Terminal for high data-rate optical LEO-to-GEO links... the assembly hall and using an off-the-shelf laser tracker for precise localisation of the gondola. Changes on...
January 2020
Collaborating to harness space innovation in healthcare
... create new markets, resulting in job creation and economic growth.Mirico found that Laser Dispersion Spectroscopy (LDS), a laser gas-sensing technology originally designed to measure atmospheric constituents in space, could be deployed to accurately...
April 2021
Space wars - how they start and how to end them
... on-board radar or optical systems to track a target and fine manoeuvring jets for impact accuracy. Even a small laser on a satellite can damage sensitive optical components such as Earth-oriented optical imagery sensors, Earth limb sensors...
April 2021
Norway’s pioneering use of microsatellites
..., a precise navigation system from Fugro Norway, a miniaturised electric propulsion system from ThrustMe in France, and a miniature laser reflector for precise tracking from SCF Lab in Italy. The platform development and satellite integration are...
