New Space: A unique opportunity for German Industry

After writing in my first article about the corporate culture at asphericon, and reporting in my second on adaptive value creation in the optical industry, I’d now like to take you on a journey into the infinity of space. It’s 2021, and there are currently over 3,000 working satellites orbiting the Earth. Recently, a single SpaceX Falcon rocket launched a record 143 satellites, while Amazon was granted approval last year to put 3,236 more satellites into orbit under its Project Kuiper.

Miniaturization and commercialization

Amazon’s project and the record set by SpaceX represent two developments in spaceflight: miniaturization and New Space. New Space is an umbrella term fronting various ideas and applications in commercial spaceflight, while miniaturization explains why 143 satellites can be carried on a single rocket. Although it wasn’t that long ago that satellites still weighed several tonnes, the BDI Federation of German Industries calculated that in 2019, roughly 400 of the 500 or so satellites launched each weighed less than five kilograms.

I recently discovered these links in an article by Alexander Stirn published in the magazine Spektrum about microlaunchers, which also quoted Marco Stemer, Head of Launch Vehicle at Isar Aerospace, as saying: “Just because the rocket is smaller doesn’t make the system any less complex.” I agree with him because, on the contrary, miniaturization is in fact an additional benefit requiring new technologies and solutions. And optical technologies have a vital role to play in managing this complexity.

How photonics contributes to miniaturization in spaceflight

If, unlike me, you weren’t interested in space travel as a child but later developed an interest in optical technology, you’re probably unaware of the functions to which optics is put in spaceflight today. For one thing, optical systems are now fitted in star trackers on satellites used for attitude determination as well as observation. Star trackers determine their orientation by comparing patterns of stars in space with stored stellar maps, and work to an accuracy of less than half a meter. And when observing the Earth, in addition to detecting tiny changes on the surface, trackers on satellites can also carry out spectral analysis from orbit in order to provide detailed information on, say, air quality.

There is a risk of miniaturization taking place at the expense of precision in both position determination and observation. However, measuring accuracy can be significantly improved by using aspherical or even free-form optical systems. Instead of two or more optics, the use of internal beam redirection optics means that just one lens is required. This eliminates the necessary distance between lenses at a stroke and allows the overall size to be substantially reduced.

ATHENA and the Thuringian Innovation Award

In November 2020, Jena-Optronik won the Thuringian Innovation Award in the Tradition & Future category for its Astro XP star tracker. The Astro XP is to be used in controlling the attitude and orbit of satellites and probes for the ATHENA X-ray observatory mission. Its measuring accuracy of 0.1 arc sec makes it at least ten times more accurate than any other tracker. Thanks to its sophisticated optical design, the tracker is also extremely compact, and also very light, weighing just eight kilograms. Accordingly, I’m very proud that two optics and a spacer from asphericon have been used in the tracker. We at asphericon are already looking forward to accomplishing other outstanding projects together with Peter Kapell’s team. However, successful collaborations like this shouldn’t be confined to Thuringia.

Going into space with Germany

The IW German Economic Institute based in Cologne has reported that turnover in the global space sector in 2019 reached $366 billion (€302 billion). According to IW economist Hubertus Bardt, this marks the start of a growth phase set to benefit not only long-standing companies but also startups. With Germany home to an above-average number of SMEs, this is an opportunity for the country to establish itself as a technology leader in individual areas of this growing market.

Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB SE, the first space and technology corporation from Germany to be listed on the stock exchange, predicts that the entire industry is about to see a fundamental transformation with the emergence of new business models, markets undergoing rapid change, and new technologies, processes and production methods all being required. In his words, this could be a “Henry Ford moment” in spaceflight with German industry transferring its experience of mass production in the car industry to the production of microlaunchers. This is a view I totally share.

Mind you, in addition to operational excellence, Germany has another competitive advantage which we shouldn’t forget. As well as a history of automotive mass production stretching back almost a century, we’re also at the forefront of innovation in many other fields. Take optical technology, for example, where we remain the innovation leaders to this day. However, German companies can only succeed in New Space if we combine our experience and expertise in different areas.

The German Offshore Spaceport Alliance (Gosa) is doubtless already taking a step in the right direction with its plans for a German rocket launch site in the North Sea. But to withstand global competition, it’s important to produce excellence in every stage of the value chain. When John Glenn, the world-famous astronaut who went on to become a US Senator, was asked by a journalist about how he felt on the launchpad before lift-off, he replied: “I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of 2 million parts — all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” Although I can’t help grinning at this quote, it underlines that in spaceflight in particular, price mustn’t be the only criterion – and that the quality of the products made by everyone involved is crucial.

The success of a space mission therefore also hinges on improving each individual part – while conversely, each component can potentially increase the success of a mission.

At asphericon, we’re all systems go and ready to make our contribution in the realm of optical technologies.

Yet I’d also like to urge you to join us in our efforts in Germany to shape New Space and the future of space travel. If you’ve any ideas or proposals for joint projects, please write to me!

Yours Sven Kiontke