Space faring

Creative Engineering & Exploration Partner

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Nano Satellites

Microspace has developed several nanosatellites in our laboratory in order to demonstrate our proprietary technologies.
We have launched our satellite POPSAT-HIP1 in Low Eearth Sun Synchronous Orbit on 19th June 2014 from Yasni (Russia) and it has performed demonstrations of our Micropropulsion System until complete use of the propellant as planned over a 9 month mission.
Our satellite ATHENOXAT-1 has been launched in LEO Equatorial orbit on 16th December 2015 from Sriharikota (India). It has performed its primary mission objective of High Resoution Night Vision Imaging and has taken also many beautiful wide angle images and is still in operation.

Aerospace Technologies

We started Microspace specifically to enable the smallest satellites with the same performances of the biggest, the first problem to solve was the propulsion.
We created the smallest possible thrusters in the world, micromachined in silicon with a throat of few micronmeters, all together smaller than a mosquito with a thrust of 1 mN fully controllable in intensity and time and with the highest possible efficiency in its class !
We also developed optical systems, attitude controls, power systems and the complete satellites.

Optics

Our satellite ATHENOXAT-1 is the smallest satellite with the most sensitive and high resolution optical system, entirely developed in house.

Sensing and Control Systems

Accurate pointing of an imaging satellite requires sensors, actuators and control algorithms. We have developed all those in house and demonstrated in orbit with our satellites.

20

Years of Experience

over 100

Projects Done

over 10

Satellites Studied or Developed

more than 7

Years in Orbit

Microspace solves impossible problems

... for example 5 optical payloads in a 3U cubesat, one of which is a high resolution, night vision, completely new system, made in house along with new reaction wheels, control software, etc... in few months. Done.

A quick list of our Works

Research and Development of Silicon Micromachined Microthrusters. This was the beginning of Microspace, our pioneering work in micropropulsion for nanosatellites. We designed and optimized the shape of the nozzle, specifically for Deep-Reactive-Ion-Etching on Silicon (DRIE) in order to achieve the best possible efficiency.

The micronozzle is packaged by means of Anodic Bonding and included in the microthruster modules that we are customizing for mounting in any desired satellite position, thereby enabling the smallest impact on the satellite design while achieving the most demanding attitude control and orbital corrections with the same devices. The micropropulsion system is fully modular and we optimize according to our clients requirements.

We created our first satellite POPSAT-HIP1 to demonstrate the functionality of our micropropulsion in orbit. POPSAT was launched from Yasni on a Dnepr rocket on 19.6.2014 and performed its maneuvering experiments with its 8 thrusters through 9 months of mission until the propellant ran out as planned. Thereby POPSAT succesfully brought Microspace Micropropulsion System to Technology Readiness 9 (TRL9) !

We created our second satellite ATHENOXAT-1, as required from our client in Singapore to develop and demonstrate a novel night vision imaging system with high resolution. We also included 4 extra imaging cameras for day use at lower resolutions, we developed reaction wheels to ensure a very long mission and double sided deployable panels to gather sufficient energy for night use.
ATHENOXAT was launched from Sriharikota on a PSLV rocket on 16.12.2015 and performed its maneuvering and imaging experiments with its 5 imaging payloads through its years long mission as planned. Thereby ATHENOXAT succesfully brought Microspace Optical Technolgies, Reaction Wheels, High Power deployable PVs and Scheduling and Imaging Software to TRL9 !

Launching a satellite is a unique experience in life. We have succefully launched two of them entirely made by us (and participated to various other space missions with our designs and hardware). Managing a launch contract, along with all licensing requirements and accompanying our satellites at launch base for the final checks up to rocket has given us an incredible experience and confidence that we are happy to apply and expand for future space missions

It is worth to remember one of the first works of our founder, at the University of Trieste: the development of an Axial Flow Compressor Blading through aerodynamic design, CFD, manually produced Kevlar-composite blades and testing to demonstrate its performances and efficiency.

Another very interesting experience was the creation and development of a steam engine for electrical power generation from the heat of a wood-fire oven with RDS in Pordenone and Palazzetti. A very early work on sustainable technologies for terrestrial applications !

Engineering can be also beautiful and weareable ! Between satellites and space technologies projects Microspace has been always busy with other things, here is one of our watches, based on Seiko automatic mechanical movement, we created the design and manufactured several of these "Steam-Punk" original time pieces.

Not even last and certainly not least... is our work on Vacuum Tubes and, in general, Analog Electronics. We designed and produced several thermionic based audio amplifiers (vulgo "vacuum tubes") and more recently Operational Amplifiers (OPA) based instruments for wireless power transmission and wireless sensors.