On the 5^th of October 2023, METASTARS held the Innovation Projects’ kick-off meeting with SMEs whose projects were selected for funding within the Innovation Projects 2023 Call. The METASTARS team have met for the first time with CEOs, managers and experts from companies implementing the projects.

The Advisory Board Members, who will mentor the projects, presented themselves and their areas of expertise.

The participants learned about each project, its innovative aspect and what results are expected:

• 5 INNOVATIVE «HIGH RISK» projects aiming to develop their Technology Readiness Level (TRL 2-5) from technology concept formulated to technology validated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment):

Accelerating Testing of an Air Breathing Electric Propulsion Satellite (ATAB) – Kreios Space & Pulsar Labs will design and test a coil for electric propulsion systems, enhancing expertise in advanced propulsion and promoting sustainability by creating a fully electric engine for satellites;

Nano-AM In-Space green thruster (InSpaceAM) – AENIUM Engineering & Delta Orbit will develop a high-performance satellite propulsion system using non-toxic green propellants;

Tamper-proof of Satellite Images (TAPSAT) – Bitrezus & Prisma Electronics aim at specifying, designing and verifying an embedded hardware that will tamper-proof satellite imagery. This will be integrated into satellites and on earth, as a digital twin;

Air Plasma Engine Xperiment (APEX) – SYLPHAERO will test a proof of concept and gather data to develop the world’s first electric plasma-based jet engine;

Microsatellite-compatible Solar Array Rotary Actuator (microSARA) – Revolv Space aim to develop an innovative Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) tailored to European microsatellite platforms;

• 6 INNOVATIVE «LOW RISK» projects aiming to develop their Technology Readiness Level (TRL 5-7) from technology validated in relevant environment to system prototype demonstration in operational environment:

DIGISURF – DIGItization of the SURFace treatment line – Titania Ensayos y Proyectos Industriales will digitize the surface treatments line of an R&D area in order to extrapolate the results to the production line in future projects;

Collision Avoidance System Incorporating Visual Environment Recognition (ACS-VR) – Infinite Orbits & Ecosmic will develop an ‘In-Space’ autonomous Collision Avoidance  (CA) System for satellites to predict collision probabilities with unprecedented accuracy;

IDEAMAP – RESPIBIT & Geosense will develop an integrated drone system that will be capable of measuring the local concentrations of gases and dispersed entities at a specific time and determine local fluxes;

Actuated CMC Air Inlet and Flap for Aerospace (ACAIF) –  NABLAWAVE & Walter E.C. Pritzkow Spezialkeramik (WPS) focuses on the design, manufacturing and testing of an air inlet that will operate in the extreme space re-entry environment, which includes very high speeds, temperatures and vibrations;

High temp testing equipment – Salloytech Aero Group will develop high-temperature resistant materials, which are crucial for the aerospace sector, aiming to reduce dependency on limited suppliers and enhance strategic autonomy in high-temperature equipment production;

Reusable masking – Salloytech aim to develop a groundbreaking technology for silicone and polyurethane masking, which is reusable. The main goal is to increase production efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance safety at work.

Both Low-Risk projects (10 month duration) and High-Risk projects (12 months duration) kicked-off in September 2023.

We would like to wish good luck to all the laureates and please stay tuned for the projects’ results!