BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. - Jan. 2022 – AmplifiedSpace, a company specializing in smart power systems for spacecraft, has been selected to deliver the power controller for the "Radio And Laser PatH agnostIc communications Experiment" (RALPHIE) mission at the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder). This program will be run in conjunction with the Air Force's Research Lab's University Nanosatellite Program (AFRL UNP).
The RALPHIE program will perform experiments that reduce the bottleneck between satellite and ground-based communication systems. The spacecraft will be about the size of a shoebox and has a demanding list of power system design challenges that require new power system technologies to support these demanding requirements.
"We are incredibly excited to have this rare opportunity," said CEO and Founder, Jerome Hittle. "Even in today's environment it's incredibly difficult for a company to find an opportunity for their first launch. We are fortunate to be located in an area with a booming aerospace economy where we can build our reputation and provide companies with likeminded ideas a platform to accelerate their spacecraft delivery timelines."
"Our power controller will provide students new opportunities to quickly adjust their power system to weigh the pros and cons of different spacecraft topologies, a terrific learning opportunity that is not currently possible when most students only have the time to work on one spacecraft during their academic careers. On the other hand, our commercial customers desire the ability to ship many more spacecraft than they can today. This can be done using the same controller that the students will use on RALPHIE while also reducing size, weight, power, and costs (SWaP-C) associated with long development timelines. Projections are to ship 300 of our controllers a year while also having the capability to ship up to 1000 units per year when also considering terrestrial applications."
When asked about the relationship, Dr. Scott Palo Professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at CU said, “We are excited to be working with AmplifiedSpace to mature new smallsat technologies. It provides an opportunity for our students to stay at the forefront of the industry, gain direct experience with emerging products, and learn about entrepreneurship.”
AmplifiedSpace is privately held aerospace power systems company hailing from Longmont, Colorado. The company is redefining how spacecraft are built and operated. Their patent pending technology enables spacecraft development times to be reduced from 24 months to 1 and enables rapid manufacturing and on-orbit configurability in ways never seen before in spacecraft.
To learn more about AmplifiedSpace, please contact us.
More about Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, RALPHIE, AFRL, UNP, and the recent UNP selection announcement.
