- XTEK (XTE), in conjunction with Skycraft, has been award an Australian Space Agency (ASA) grant for the design and launch of up to 30 small, low-orbit satellites
- The ASA’s International Space Investment Expand Capability grant follows a memorandum of understanding from June 2019 and is worth $878,193
- Under the agreement, XTEK and Skycraft will work alongside New Space India, the commercial provider of India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicles
- The company is now working to design a carbon fibre launch structure using its XTclave composite curing technology
- XTEK shares are unchanged at Tuesday’s market open, priced at 74 cents per share
XTEK (XTE), in conjunction with Skycraft, has been award an Australian Space Agency (ASA) grant for the design and launch of up to 30 small, low-orbit satellites.
ASA’s International Space Investment Expand Capability grant provides a total of $878,193, which is expected to fully fund a launch stack system to deploy the satellites from low-cost rockets. The certification and validation of the launch will be carried out in conjunction with New Space India, which is a commercial provider of Small Satellite Launch Vehicles.
The grant comes off the back of a memorandum of understanding signed between XTEK and Skycraft, related to the co-engineering and potential manufacture of small spacecraft and launcher systems.
Philippe Odouard, Managing Director of XTEK, said the grant represents a significant milestone for the company’s composite capabilities.
“The recognition from the Australia Government and global collaboration provides external validation of our technology, and presents a valuable opportunity to further develop our advanced composites capabilities for space applications, with this project expected to further build our presence in the growing space composites sector globally,” he added.
XTEK is currently working on the development of a lightweight carbon fibre launch structure using its XTclave composite curing technology. As such, the company hopes to minimise the weight of the launch system while ensuring optimum rigidity and strength.
The advanced manufacturing process, in combination with in-house design, presents a unique opportunity for XTEK in the space market where the weight of spacecraft and launch systems is a substantial factor behind their significant cost.
James Prior, Managing Director of Skycraft, further noted that a critical component n any launch is the weight of the spacecraft and the launch systems used to release the spacecraft into orbit.
“Our focus is to optimise this balance and achieve weight savings, while still retaining rigidity and strength, and so we are very pleased to be partnering with XTEK to utilise their advanced design and manufacturing capabilities through the XTclave technology,” he concluded.
XTEK shares are unchanged at Tuesday’s market open, priced at 74 cents per share at 10:32 am AEST.