Within the PPU development for a T5 thruster from QinetiQ the Beam Power Supply was identified as the major critical functional block in terms of using planar transformers and GaN transistors in combination with digital control at switching frequencies of up to 1 MHz. Due to this it was agreed to de-risk the development of this functional block for a potential T5 PPU development.

The performance of the Beam Power Supply has been successfully validated.

Myriad is a commercial Computer Vision (CV) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor that is both high-performance and low power, operating in a nominal 1.5W power envelope. Its bottom-up design for edge compute makes it an attractive solution for on-board and in-flight data processing, where it
can enable AI inference on CubeSats. Flying a COTS device for the first time requires several stages of test, design and development, and this activity supports multiples of these stages.

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Mostly in the last decade, a number of initiatives have unfolded, also in Europe, for the development of a dedicated orbital launcher to serve the micro- and nano-satellite market demand with an addressable market varying by up to 100% across launch and demand studies. These initiatives as a result aim at specifically addressing light satellite customers’ claimed pain points including time and date availability, orbit selection, responsiveness, pricing, volume restrictions or complexity.

The use of a traditional flat image sensor requires optical elements to project the image onto a flat plane.  Introducing an appropriately curved sensor removes the need for these optical elements. Thus, by eliminating one constraint on the design of the lens it becomes possible to design systems with reduced size and weight and improved performance.