How do you make something strong and light – and able to survive the extreme conditions of lower earth orbit? Aerospace company Sidus Space is innovating an entirely re-imagined satellite using 3D printed components.
Led by CEO and former US Navy officer Carol Craig, Sidus is building a business out of strong 3D printing satellites that can serve a multitude of operations and customers in a single unit, thereby reducing the number of satellites needed to be launched into space.
Not only does the satellite need to pass all the rigorous certification standards required of all aerospace engineering, but it must not weigh more than 100kg. This engineering challenge is the work of lead design checker and former NASA engineer Tony Boschi.
He explains: “You’ve got batteries, computers, all the components that make the satellite operate that take up significant weight - the more weight I can remove from the rest of the structure, the more payload we can put in.”
Putting more payload into each satellite is tied to the company’s mission of having multi-use satellites that can serve a multitude of clients.
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