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It’s easy to think of satellites as a collection of mini-moons, orbiting the Earth smoothly and without any (perceived) motion. But that’s not quite right: satellites and other spacecraft often need constant adjustments to their position in orbit.
Historically, the aerospace industry has relied on a combination of thrusters or reaction wheels and magnetized magnetic shafts to control spacecraft attitude, control, and position. But these take up a lot of space and mass, and limit how long a spacecraft can stay in orbit. New Zealand-based Xeno Astronautics offers an alternative to these cumbersome and time-limited propulsion systems. The core technology is an electromagnet, which generates a very strong magnetic field that can interact with other magnetic fields – like other spacecraft or the Earth itself – to create propulsion.
The technology has attracted interest from investors, who recently contributed NZ$10.5 million ($6.585 million) in a seed round. New Zealand-based VC firms GD1 (Global From Day One) and Nuance Connecting Capital led the round, with additional participation from Shasta Ventures, NZGCP, K1W1, Austrian billionaire Wolfgang Leitner, Alt Ventures, Enterprise Angels, Arkisys and NZVC.
The funding marks the start of an ambitious 18-month period for Zeno Hope, which will culminate in its debut in the fourth quarter of 2023. systems per year.
“We can generate a new kind of energy in space,” founder Max Arshavsky told TechCrunch. “That’s the most fundamental discovery we have.”
Max Arshavsky, founder of Zeno Astronautics. Image Credits: Xeno Astronautics.
Zeno started five years ago, when Arshavsky was a student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand’s first program for space systems, studying physics.
The startup’s first propulsive system, called the Z01 or Supertorquer, is simple, as Arshavsky explains: an electromagnet is created using a coil of wire (also called a solenoid for those engineers out there). That electromagnet generates a strong magnetic field, and then the satellite connects to the Earth to point itself in relation to the planet.
Previous attempts to develop this technology have been limited by how much current can be pushed through a conventional wire. Zeno’s breakthrough is using superconducting wire at high temperatures with zero resistance to electric flow, so it can push a large amount of current through it. The higher the current, the stronger the magnetic field. The company has overcome a few other hurdles, as the wire needs to operate at around 80 Kelvin, or -193 Celsius, which is colder than the vacuum of space.
The result is a system that the company says takes up 20 times less space than traditional unloading systems. In addition to pointing satellites, the electromagnetic system can be used for satellite interactions such as orbital debris clearance, spacecraft docking, or orbital servicing. Most spacecraft have things like magnetic torque rods that interact with electromagnets, so the technology is compatible with older spacecraft, Arshavsky said.
The company is working on using the technology to shield spacecraft – in groups or payloads – from the high levels of radiation outside. The magnetic field can be used to deflect charged particle beams, which can extend spacecraft life in orbit or protect crews. This is a key problem to solve with deep space crew missions, including to Mars.
Zeno Astronautics’ Z01. Image Credits: Xeno Astronautics.
Magnetic fields do not act differently in a vacuum, so the company was able to test the system here on Earth. The next step is to take it to space. Zeno plans to launch a full-scale attitude control system in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Italian company D-Orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
“Our technology readiness level is currently around six on the NASA scale, which means we’ve tested all the systems and subsystems in the lab, and the next level is testing things around us,” Arshavsky said. Until launch, the company is focused on building a spaceflight-grade version of the technology, which was “intended to go on a rocket.” [be] It oscillates violently and then moves safely through space,” he added. That system will be delivered to D-Orbit at some point in mid-’23 for integration and then launch.
Although the first orbital test of the system is a year and a half away, the company has received enough demand for the technology that it plans to set up the aforementioned large production plant.
“We have a lot of interest with industry at the moment. […] And we want to make sure we don’t hide,” Arshavsky explained.
The company has signed a third sales agreement with a delivery date of February 2024, so the production facility should be up and running by then. In addition to the constellation commitments in the pipeline, Zeno has strong sales agreements with US-based satellite owners and operators worth “several million dollars.” While Arshavsky didn’t reveal the names of the clients or the size of the constellation, Zenono is gearing up to move full-steam ahead in the next few years.
Zenno will use some of the seed funding to grow its team, which currently has 11 full-time employees. At the time of the investment, the company had only four or five full-time employees, so the workforce doubled in a short period of time. Zeno has appointed Peter Crabtree, founder of the New Zealand Space Agency, as chairman of its board. D’Orbit CEO and founder Luca Rossettini is coming on board as an advisor.
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