Space Tech Expo Europe has opened its call for speakers for the free-to-attend conference to be held Nov. 15-17 in Bremen, Germany.
The conference will focus on the latest advancements in the European and global space industry, including space exploration, in-space manufacturing, launch, system development, market trends and more.
The conference will take place alongside the leading supplier trade show with hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest space technological advancements. The conference provides attendees with the knowledge on the latest developments in European space. Previous speaking companies include: OHB, NASA, ArianeGroup, Airbus Defence and Space, UK Space Agency, ESA and many more.
Proposals for speakers will be accepted through April 11, 2022. To submit a proposal or learn more about the event, please visit the Space Tech Expo Europe website.
Vai Photonics was founded in Canberra in 2021 by physicists Lyle Roberts (left) and James Spollard to commercialize their research at Australian National University. ANU Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt is at right. (Photo: Vai Photonics)
Advanced Navigation has acquired Vai Photonics, a spin-out from Australian National University (ANU) developing patented photonic sensors for precision navigation.
Vai Photonics’ vision, to provide technology to drive the autonomy revolution, is similar to Advanced Navigation’s. It will join Advanced Navigation in commercializing its research into autonomous and robotic applications across land, air, sea and space.
“The technology Vai Photonics is developing will be of huge importance to the emerging autonomy revolution,” said Xavier Orr, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Navigation. “The synergies, shared vision and collaborative potential we see between Vai Photonics and Advanced Navigation will enable us to be at the absolute forefront of robotic- and autonomy-driven technologies. Photonic technology will be critical to the overall success, safety and reliability of these new systems.”
James Spollard, CTO and co-founder of Vai Photonics, explained the technology. “Precision navigation when GPS is unavailable or unreliable is a major challenge in the development of autonomous systems. Our emerging photonic-sensing technology will enable positioning and navigation that is orders of magnitude more stable and precise than existing solutions in these environments. By combining laser interferometry and electro-optics with advanced signal-processing algorithms and real-time software, we can measure how fast a vehicle is moving in three dimensions. As a result, we can accurately measure how the vehicle is moving through the environment, and from this infer where the vehicle is located with great precision.”
The technology, in development for more than 15 years at ANU, will solve complex autonomy challenges across aerospace, automotive, weather and space exploration, as well as railways and logistics.
Aircraft with an electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing system such as flying taxis will greatly benefit from this technology, according to Advanced Navigation. Landing and takeoff are often considered the most dangerous and expensive part of a flight route. Vai Photonics sensors will provide safe and reliable autonomous takeoff and landings under all conditions.
Space travel and exploration is fraught with risks, vast complexity and enormous cost. This technology will bring massive benefits to space missions, helping to cement Advanced Navigation as the gold-standard for space-qualified navigation systems for space exploration.
“The work that underpins Vai Photonics’ advanced autonomous navigation systems stems from the search for elusive gravitational waves — ripples in space and time caused by massive cosmic events like black holes colliding,” said Brian Schmidt, vice-chancellor of ANU. “The team have built on a decade of research and development across advanced and ultra-precise laser measurements, digital signals and quantum optics to build their innovative navigation technology.”
Advanced Navigation, in partnership with quantum technology company Q+CTRL, will create a quantum-enhanced inertial navigation solution for space launch vehicles, satellites and landers. The design of this inertial navigation technology for long-endurance space missions will be pivotal to NASA’s space exploration initiative, the Artemis Lunar Exploration Program.
The work will be done under a Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement grant by the Australian federal government.
The quantum-enhanced navigation system will enable NASA and its partners in the international space exploration community to execute deep space, lunar and planetary missions that were previously not possible.
Artemis is NASA’s human lunar exploration plan, with the program aiming to send the first woman and next man to the surface of the Moon by 2024. Scientists have long acknowledged the Moon as a rich source of information regarding Earth and the Solar System. Using the findings from the Moon. NASA will then prepare to launch missions to Mars.
To meet NASA’s space exploration initiatives, high-end, highly accurate inertial navigation technology is vital to the mission’s success. The groundbreaking inertial navigation systems developed by Advanced Navigation have been recognised by the international aerospace community as a superior technology to help pioneer a new age of space exploration and discovery for humanity.
For Advanced Navigation, this is just the beginning. “In the long-term view of this critical initiative, team activities following this project will establish an ongoing manufacturing opportunity and capacity that is central to the emerging Australian space industry,” said Chris Shaw, co-CEO of Advanced Navigation.
Advanced Navigation was founded in Sydney in 2012 by engineers Xavier Orr and Chris Shaw to commercialize thesis research into AI neural network-based inertial navigation. The first product met the market with great success and the company expanded rapidly adding a portfolio of navigation offerings and moving into a diverse range of deep tech fields such as underwater acoustics, GPS, radio frequency systems, sensors and robotics.
Today Advanced Navigation is a supplier to companies including Airbus, Boeing, Tesla, Google, Apple and General Motors. Advanced Navigation is headquartered in Sydney with a large research facility in Perth and sales offices around the world.
