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舰队空间开发下一代3D打印的卫星以增强物联网连接

澳大利亚卫星开发人员车队空间已经揭示了在接下来的12个月中发布新一代3D印刷小卫星的计划,称为Alpha。

Claimed to be the world’s first entirely 3D printed satellite, the Alpha will integrate the company’s advanced beamforming technology and patented antennas to unlock greater connectivity more quickly and in more locations.

“It is Fleet Space’s vision that everyone, everywhere, has access to unlimited connectivity, no matter where they are on the globe, in cities, remote regions, on land or navigating the oceans,” said Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Founder of Fleet Space. “Our recent Series B investment empowered us to realize this vision by embarking on a bold new strategy.”

3D打印的Alpha小卫星。通过车队空间照片。
3D打印的Alpha小卫星。通过车队空间照片。

Aiming for unlimited connectivity

舰队空间在2018年将澳大利亚的前四个商业纳米卫星推向低地轨道(LEO),即其Proxima 1和2及其Centauri 1和2卫星,创造了历史。此后,该公司一直在其Centauri计划上进行工作,并于今年早些时候推出了第五和第六卫星。

Last month, the company secured $26.4 million in Series B funding to bolster its mission to provide global satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. Upon the funding announcement, Fleet Space was valued at $126 million and backed by the likes of自动风险合作伙伴,Blackbird Ventures,Grok Ventures, andHorizons Ventures,其他。

在推进舰队空间的历史第一d manufacturing, including a world-first in metal 3D printing patch antennas for small satellites which delivered 10 times more throughput per kilo of spacecraft. Now, the company is funneling its expertise and fresh capital into creating a new generation of small satellites with improved connectivity capabilities.

Nardini说:“我们故事中的新章节是由一个名为Alpha的新卫星组成的发展,该卫星将与我们现有的Centauri星座和谐相处。”“ Alpha代表着向前迈出的重要一步,并且第一次通过3D打印创建了卫星。

“通过将太空技术的创造,部署和服务汇总在一起,这是我们打算成为太空技术全球领导者的明确声明,并支持澳大利亚领导这一关键领域的雄心。”

The Alpha constellation

车队空间’s new alpha constellation will sit alongside its existing Centauri satellites, which are among the world’s most advanced space communications systems. The company plans to leverage the experience and learnings from its growing constellation of small satellites to develop the Alpha and subsequently expand its coverage reach. The firm hopes to provide down to sub-seconds latency to deliver a cost-effective means of providing “unprecedented” connectivity more quickly and in more locations.

According to Fleet Space, the Alpha will represent the world’s first entirely 3D printed satellite. The satellite will be integrated with the company’s advanced digital beamforming technology that uses an array of multiple 3D printed all-metal antennas along with Digital Signal Processing capabilities.

The technology generates a high number of highly-directional low-interfering beams in point-to-point satellite communications to substantially increase the throughput of customer IoT data and subsequently service a higher number of customer terminals at once. This process delivers a high spectral efficiency which improves quality of service through enhanced frequency reuse, faster data rates, and more robust links.

在公司声称的另一个“世界首先”中,将将波束形成的技术集成到狮子座alpha中,该狮子座的技术不超过半平方米。

The Alpha will have up to 64 of the company’s metal 3D printed patch antennas compared to the four on Fleet Space’s latest satellite, the Centauri 4, representing a 16-fold increase in performance while being only four times heavier.

据估计,Alpha卫星在大约12个月内准备就绪,这代表了车队空间的“基本转变”,因为它扩大了其研发部门的范围。Alpha将增加车队空间的Leo小卫星网络,该网络的目的是扩展到140个星座。

A render of the Alpha small satellite in LEO. Image via Fleet Space.
A render of the Alpha small satellite in LEO. Image via Fleet Space.

Bolstering Australia’s space sector

该公司表示,Fleet Space最近的B系列资金标志着对澳大利亚新兴太空行业的坚定承诺,并将导致创造70个新工作,其中许多工作将处于STEM职位。

At the time of the announcement, David Pisoni MP, Minister of Innovation and Skills, said: “The growth of Fleet Space Technologies and the successful completion of this funding round is a glowing affirmation of the sustained development of the Australian and South Australian space industry sector.

“In backing Fleet, the Marshall Liberal Government is supporting the creation of highly-skilled jobs in South Australia and plotting a trajectory towards the Australian Space Agency’s stated aims to build a £12 billion industry by 2030.”

除舰队外,澳大利亚太空领域其他参与者最近发生了一些增材制造开发项目。雷电竞充值早在2018年,澳大利亚的联邦科学和工业研究组织(CSIRO) highlighted the importance of 3D printing for the development of the country’s space sector andthe role it could play in achieving “Space 2.0”.

Since then, Melbourne-based metal 3D printer manufacturer滴虫has partnered with fellow Australian space firmGilmour Space Technologiesto3D print high-performance rocket and space components用于吉尔穆尔的发射车。最近,TITOMIC与按需生产提供商合作罗马工程tosecure AUD $8.1 million in grants, which the firms will use to produce and commercialize satellite parts and fluid and motion control systems for future space missions respectively.

Meanwhile, theProtoSpace of University of Technology Sydney(UTS)最近与纳米尺寸, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers for additively manufactured electronics (AMEs) toharness the power of 5G for the space sector并促进3D打印的毫米波和Terahertz天线和电路。

Elsewhere, Australian metal 3D printer OEMAML3D宣布了制定其first entry into the space sector与一家不愿透露姓名的航空公司合作,而澳大利亚冷喷雾剂制造商SPEE3Dunveiled its own plans to “revolutionize” the space sector with低成本金属3D印刷火箭发动机.

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Featured image showsa render of the Alpha small satellite in LEO. Image via Fleet Space.