Military/Aerospace Electronics

HBK has launches what it describes as a “tactical-grade” embedded inertial navigation system in a 38 x 24 x 8.6mm 8.3g package – 18% thinner and 20% lighter than its earlier 3DMCV5. 3DM-CV7-INS, as it will be known, has 1.5°/hr gyro bias instability – which is where the tactical grade comment comes from, and is calibrated over its operating range ...

Airbus will build two microwave radiometers on behalf of the French Space Agency (CNES). These will be for use on a NASA/JAXA international climate satellite mission. It will be as part of the French contribution to an Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) initiative. It is the C²OMODO mission (Convective Core Observations through MicrOwave Derivatives in the trOpics). Radiometers Specifially, the C²OMODO ...

With the certificate of occupancy secured on the building’s construction, Terran Orbital – the satellite manufacturer – is commencing construction of a new space vehicle assembly facility. The 94,000 square feet building – situated on a five-acre site – is located at 4 Goodyear in Irvine, California. The company says it is targeting occupancy in Q1 2025. Terran says it ...

Viasat is introducing its Secure Wireless Hub (SWH), described as a wearable tactical gateway solution. The SWH system is being developed as part of a multi-phase effort with the U.S. Army, specifically the Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This is to meet requirements for tactical edge computing and networking, in a small form factor, for dismounted users. Tactical “Tactical edge operators ...

At the Small Satellite Conference in Utah, Imec announced a hyperspectral sensor with an on-chip line-based filter covering 450 – 900nm in 96 bands. It had equidistantly divided spectral bands and, compared with its previous generation, double the TDI (time-delayed-integration) capacity – to 10 line per band. Underneath the filter is a ‘2/3inch’ 2,048pixel image sensor from AMS – the ...

Astroscale, a specialist in space debris removal, has secured finding to complete the Final Phase of ELSA-M. This is an in-orbit demonstration of space debris removal. Specifically, Astroscale UK – a subsidiary of Japan-based Astroscale Holdings – will receive £11.78 from the UK Space Agency and ESA. ELSA-M stands for End-of-Life by Astroscale-Multiple. Sunrise The funding was released following the ...

A grant from the Pivot into Space programme is funding a Novocomms R&D project to develop a next-gen PNT (positioning, navigation and timing antenna) system for use in space. Pivot into Space is a programme being led by the Midlands Aerospace Alliance. It has funding from the UK Space Agency that is matched by industry. The idea is for the ...

The UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) say they will build together on the success of the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), which employs 100 people in Harwell. Specifically, they will aim to strengthen work on the centre’s 5G/6G hub with a focus on satellite telecommunications. The agencies say they will also explore the ...

Teledyne e2v Space Imaging is collaborating with Starris Optima Space Systems to develop space cameras for small satellites and lunar ecosystems. “Our joint development of these compact camera payloads begins to address a growing and significant market as small sat applications move beyond LEO into the cislunar economy, which is a steppingstone to Mars habitation,” says Teledyne vp Antonino Spatola. ...

UK scientists and engineers have successfully fired a high powered laser energy weapon from a British Army combat vehicle for the first time. The ground-breaking test was conducted at Dstl’s (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) range in Porton Down. The laser weapon neutralised targets at distances in excess of 1km. As part of MoD’s Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) ...