Revolutionising UK Satellite Telecoms: A Printable Approach to Helical Antennas in Orbit

彻底改变英国卫星电信：在轨螺旋天线的可打印方法

• 批准号: 10075375
• 金额: $ 6.32万
• 依托单位: LODESTAR SPACE LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Grant for R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10075375
• 关键词: Revolutionising; UK; Satellite; Telecoms; Printable

Lodestar is a fast-paced start-up on a mission to develop in-orbit 3D printing to build large structures in-orbit and save humanity here on earth.We're advancing space-rated 3D printing hardware to replace expensive, risky and heavy folding deployables with an extrusion based approach. With "printable" technology, we can unlock a massive leap forward in satellite capability, while de-risking deployment, and keeping costs low.Today satellite communication antennas are constrained by the volume and structure they must fit within a spacecraft, leading to decreased performance and high costs. Our first product overcomes these limitations by extruding conductive filament directly into the vacuum of space, allowing for the in-orbit manufacture of helical antennas that are optimised for any given specification.Our founding team comprises of two hardware engineers who have each completed their Masters theses on off-world manufacturing and the challenges of printing in a vacuum. We have a proven track record of building teams to deliver complex deep-tech projects such as Hyperloop, rocketry and drones, as well as securing the funding to make them a reality. We're being advised by field-leading experts at NASA and ESA in technical matters, and have a separate batch of commercial and financial advisors through our residence in the renowned Entrepreneur First accelerator program where we've recently closed our pre-seed funding of £145k.Lodestar maintains close affiliation with our previous academic institutions to jointly apply for further public funding, we're currently being supported by the UKSA Explore Programme, and we will be developing innovative IP over the coming months, positioning us as the best team to revolutionise UK satellite communication through off-world construction.

北极星是一家快节奏的初创公司，其使命是开发在轨3D打印技术，在轨道上建造大型建筑，拯救地球上的人类。我们正在推进空间级3D打印硬件，用基于挤压的方法取代昂贵、危险和沉重的折叠部署。有了“可打印”技术，我们可以实现卫星能力的巨大飞跃，同时降低部署风险，并保持低成本。如今，卫星通信天线受到体积和结构的限制，它们必须适应航天器，导致性能下降和成本高。我们的第一个产品通过将导电丝直接挤压到空间真空中来克服这些限制，从而允许在轨制造针对任何给定规格进行优化的螺旋天线。我们的创始团队由两名硬件工程师组成，他们都完成了关于外太空制造和真空打印挑战的硕士论文。我们在组建团队交付复杂的深科技项目（如超级高铁、火箭和无人机）以及确保资金使其成为现实方面有着良好的记录。我们在技术问题上由美国宇航局和欧空局的领域领先专家提供建议，并通过我们在著名的企业家第一加速器项目中的驻地拥有一批独立的商业和财务顾问，我们最近完成了14.5万英镑的种子期前期资金。Lodestar与我们以前的学术机构保持密切联系，共同申请进一步的公共资金，我们目前得到了英国航天局探索计划的支持，我们将在未来几个月开发创新的IP，使我们成为通过非地球建设彻底改变英国卫星通信的最佳团队。