Innovative Quality Control in Space

Welcome to the rock-it economy.

Just a quick reminder: in the previous post, I shared information about The Exploration Company, a company developing a space vehicle that provides affordable access to space.

In today’s post, I am sharing information about a company that helps test materials and components in space.

Space stations, rockets, space vehicles, and satellites are all constructed with materials and internal components that need testing to assess their performance in the space environment.

The Space DOTS assists tech space companies in testing their materials and components in orbit.

It is based in London, England.

Founded in 2021, it is a fairly new company.

The fund raised was $1.5 million in pre-seed funding.

Currently, it has 8 employees.

The team aims to create a more affordable and sustainable solution for in-orbit quality control of space technologies.

What does that mean?

It may seem a bit complicated, but let me break it down.

What it means is that any space company can test the materials and components that made the objects they develop to understand whether the entire or parts of the materials and components will perform well in the space environment.

It's like not knowing whether the materials and components you've developed for a plant will help it grow in space because those materials haven't been tested.

It's similar to manufacturing cars using materials and components suitable for the manufacturer's country. However, when exporting those cars to a cold country like Canada, the materials and components might not perform as expected in the severe cold environment.

Just imagine the potential recalls and the wasted costs for the company.

This invention will help advance space companies to manufacture and develop innovative technologies using materials and components that enable them to function in their intended environment, which is space.

It’s known that any breakthrough technology is through the materials and components it uses.

The current method

For materials testing in space is expensive and laborious, costing millions of dollars and often taking years before technologies can be brought to market.

Space companies waste time and resources on materials that aren't tested in their expected environment. It’s like testing a race car in the city before rolling it out.

Referring back to the car example, if the car maker had a device to attach to a few cars and sent them to Canada before the roll out, they would be able to gather data on which materials and components didn't tolerate the cold environment.

This data would inform the necessary adjustments.

The new way of testing

Space DOTS is the first-ever idea that enables in-orbit testing solutions, making the qualification of materials faster, cheaper, and simpler.

The team is developing a smartphone-sized device that can be sent to ride on any platform and interface with a variety of launchers. This device allows for testing beyond microgravity.

The device, called Barnacle DOT, enables an entire end-to-end material testing campaign in space to achieve higher validity while costing significantly less than the millions traditionally spent by the industry.

The device is connected to an online portal that will guide you through every step, from mission requirements acquisition to test data tracking.

It fascinates me to learn how each company's purpose fits in as a component, contributing to the structure of the space industry and economy.

A company doesn't necessarily have to directly reach space, but it can aid and support others in accessing space, launching vehicles into space, conducting experiments, providing sustainability, and enhancing efficiency, among other functions.

And that’s what Space DOTS is doing—supporting other companies to achieve their missions.

That's all for today!

I hope I've presented a simple and digestible educational piece on the forming space industry. Thank you for reading.

Please share this with anyone you believe would be interested in discovering more about the new space economy.