Rainer Groh

Tag: Space

  • Podcast Ep. #43 – Dr John Williams on Air-Breathing Rocket Engines

    Dr John Williams is an engineer at Lumentum where he works on the extreme challenges of sub-millimetre scale photonic circuits. For the purpose of this conversation, however, we will be discussing John’s former role as a design engineer at Reaction Engines, a UK company that is developing the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine, also known as SABRE.

    The vision of SABRE is to build a new hypersonic engine that can operate both as an air-breathing jet engine and as a traditional rocket. This versatility means SABRE can be used as a propulsive platform for future hypersonic aircraft or to propel space planes into orbit. Furthermore, SABRE combines the unique fuel efficiency of a jet engine with the power and high-speed ability of a rocket. Having started at Reaction Engines early on when there were only two people in the design office, and later founding his own design and manufacturing company, John has many years of high-tech experience in the aerospace sector.

    In this episode of the Aerospace Engineering podcast, John and I talk about:

    • his background as an aerospace engineer
    • the benefits of an air-breathing rocket engine
    • the particular design challenges in realising this type of engine
    • and his lessons learned from high-tech development

    Selected Links from the Episode

  • Podcast Ep. #40 – Earth-observation Satellite Constellations with SatRevolution

    In this episode I am speaking to Damian Jamroz and Grzegorz Marzec of the Polish NewSpace company SatRevolution. The company was founded in 2016 and specialises in real-time earth observation for civilian and military applications.

    SatRevolution has launched three satellites to date, with the last launch occurring at the beginning of September 2020 on an Arianespace Vega rocket, while the next one is planned for December 2020 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. These satellites are all milestones towards building an Earth-observation constellation that will be operational from 2023.

    Recently, SatRevolution has focused on developing the STORK platform, which is scheduled to be launched in June 2021. The goal of STORK is to develop a shared-services capability so that multiple satellites can be launched within one platform and benefit from SatRevolution’s Earth-observation capabilities. Hence, SatRevolution will focus on designing, manufacturing and integrating the platform satellite, while their customers and external partners can focus on work related to development of their own technologies and experiments. In this wide-ranging episode of the Aerospace Engineering Podcast we talk about:

    • the history of SatRevolution
    • why Earth-observation satellites are such a hot topic at the moment
    • the details of SatRevolution’s previous satellites and the upcoming STORK mission
    • how SatRevolution is using AI for earth observation
    • and what the future holds for the company.

    Selected Links from the Episode

  • Podcast Ep. #38 – Momentus is Developing a Transfer Vehicle for Space

    Alexander Wicks is the Chief Development Officer at the California-based startup Momentus Space. Momentus is developing the in-space equivalent of the connecting flight we all know from airline operations.

    To affordably launch small satellites into orbit, operators and manufacturers of small satellites are generally forced to share a ride on one big rocket. This approach is economical, but has one major downside: not every satellite on the ride share can be launched into its ideal orbit. Momentus is developing the transfer vehicle that then allows a satellite to reach its customisable orbit 10 times cheaper than booking a dedicated launch on the first vehicle. This capability essentially allows the next generation of satellites to reach previously unreachable locations more efficiently and more inexpensively than before.

    The transfer vehicle that Momentus is developing is powered by water plasma propulsion, and the same propulsion technology also opens the door to the next phase of space exploration. For example, missions into deep space, water prospecting and delivery throughout the solar system, in-space manufacturing, and space tourism. In this episode of the podcast you will learn about:

    • how Momentus got started
    • the need and benefits of Momentus’ transfer vehicle
    • the principles of water plasma propulsion
    • and the types of missions the technology enables

    Selected Links from the Episode

  • Podcast Ep. #35 – Astroscale’s Pioneering Mission to Clean-Up Space Debris

    Alexandra Gravereaux is a Ground Systems Engineer for the space startup Astroscale. Astroscale is a global company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with offices in the UK, Singapore and the USA, and is developing technological and regulatory solutions for space debris removal. The mission of Astroscale is to guarantee the long-term safety of spaceflight and orbital sustainability by developing end-of-life services for satellites and active debris removal. This relates to removing space junk that has accumulated due to defunct satellites and jettisoned rocket interstages; guaranteeing that regulations are in place to prevent the build-up of further space junk; and technological solutions to de-orbit defunct satellites.

    The company is currently designing and manufacturing its End-of-Life Service by Astroscale programme (ELSA), a spacecraft retrieval service for satellite operators. The first demonstration mission, known as ELSA-d, is scheduled to launch in 2020, and will demonstrate Astroscale’s technology for debris docking and removal in orbit. In this episode, Alex and I talk about:

    • her background in the space sector
    • the problem of accumulating space debris and how to deal with it
    • the details of Astroscale’s ELSA-d demonstration mission in 2020
    • and Alex’s expertise as a ground systems engineer.

    Selected Links from the Episode

  • Podcast Ep. #13 – Skyrora’s Lead Engineer Robin Hague on Scotland’s New Satellite Launch Capability

    Robin Hague is the Lead Engineer at the rocket startup Skyrora based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The goal of Skyrora is to provide a dedicated launch vehicle for small satellites. It has never been cheaper to build small satellites that provide imaging and communication services, and this sector of the space economy is expected to grow rapidly over the coming years. The UK is a world leader in the small satellite business—with Glasgow in Scotland building more satellites than any other city in Europe—but there is currently a shortfall of dedicated launchers for these satellite companies. Skyrora hopes to serve this market by launching rockets from Norther Scotland, which has great access to polar and sun-synchronous orbits. In this episode of the Aerospace Engineering podcast Robin and I talk about:

    • the history of British rocketry (the Black Arrow)
    • the benefits of using hydrogen peroxide as a propellant
    • the role of 3D printing in modern rocket engines
    • and the future of Skyrora.

    Selected Links from the Episode

  • Podcast Ep. #6 – Oxford Space Systems Founder Mike Lawton on Deployable Space Structures

    On this episode of the podcast I speak to Mike Lawton, who is the founder and CEO of Oxford Space Systems (OSS). OSS is an award-winning space technology company that is developing a new generation of deployable space structures that are lighter, simpler and cheaper than current products on the market. These deployable structures deploy antennas and solar panels on satellites orbiting earth, and are tricky to design because they need to package to a fraction of their deployed size, and need to be as lightweight as possible. OSS’ first product, the AstroTube boom, was launched into space and deployed on a cubesat in September 2016. This achievement set a new industry record in terms of development time, going from company formation to orbit in under 30 months. I met Mike at the OSS design office to talk about:

    • venture capital funding of NewSpace companies
    • how the design philosophy of NewSpace companies differs from established firms
    • how origami, the Japanese art of folding, is being used to design more efficient deployable structures
    • the flexible composites technology that OSS are developing
    • and his vision for the future of space commercialisation

    Selected Links from the Episode