Three young Queenslanders are set to make their mark on the solar system by designing space rocket parts bound for orbit.
After meeting at university, Andrew Uscinski, Michael Douw and Benjamin Dodd started their start-up company Valiant Space while they were students at the University of Queensland.
Now the trio build thrusters that are destined to be sent into orbit onboard billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX to maneuver small satellites in space.
How do the space rocket thrusters work?
Company space CEO Andrew Uscinski used an analogy to explain their aerospace engineering operation.
“You’ve got your big rockets which launch satellites into space like SpaceX — that’s like the 737 that takes you to Sydney,” he said.
“What we provide is the Uber from the airport to your hotel.
“The thrusters are the engine of satellites moving them from A to B.”
It may come as a surprise to hear satellites aren’t just floating around in space on their own accord — in fact, they need these small locally made pieces to move them around in space.
The smaller piece is a solenoid valve that was designed, built and tested by the trio.
It allows the spacecraft’s engine to be turned on and off by controlling the flow of propellant to the thruster.
The larger piece is the main engine of the spacecraft. It’s where the propellants are combined and ignited to move the satellite when it’s in space.
Hang on, what’s a propellant?
A propellant is a substance that propels something — in this instance, the rocket.
It’s the propellants that make these thrusters so unique.
They’re non-toxic, which Mr Uscinski said are easier to source, safer to use and better to integrate compared to what’s currently on the market.
“We use industrial-grade propane and nitrous oxide,” he said.
“So the propane is just the same as what you use in your BBQ and the nitrous oxide is the same as what you might see at a dentist.
“It’s very industrially available, which means it can be accessed in pretty much any part of the world which is again another important way we’re making things easier for our satellite customers.”
The valves are going on Elon Musk’s SpaceX flights?
That’s correct.
From next month, the valves will undergo their first major testing when they are sent into orbit onboard SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Founded by Elon Musk, the aerospace company hopes to facilitate the colonization of Mars via interplanetary travel.
A full propulsion system launch is scheduled for mid-2023.
Before then, the devices are put through a mock launch with shock testing and vibration tables to ensure they’d make it through one of the toughest stages of the journey.
Mr Uscinski said the thruster is tested at a Toowoomba facility where the propellants are ignited, allowing the team to collect data on the ground.
“That’s really important to make sure that the thruster works as well as we can test here, before we put it into space where it’s not like you can do easy maintenance,” he said.
What does this mean for Australian manufacturing?
The company has been supported by the Queensland government’s Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub.
CEO Cori Stewart said this was the type of success the Hub was hoping to see when the center was established two years ago.
“They’re a very talented team,” she said.
“I’m really glad they set themselves a really wicked target of getting a rocket into space when they were at university, and now they’ve gone about doing that.”
After two years at the ARM Hub, the trio are now moving to their own facility in Tennyson, where they’ll oversee the manufacturing of the Australian-made devices.
The move is a win for the industry, according to Queensland Manufacturing Minister Glenn Butcher.
“We manufacture things for Queensland, we manufacture things for Australia and now we’re manufacturing things for outer space,” he said.
“What we’re seeing today is exactly what we want other companies to do, and start-ups and innovators, and those people with a little idea in their head, to come to a place like the ARM Hub and turn it into something that makes Queensland a great place to manufacture their goods.”
Valiant Space are now hoping a successful first flight of the full propulsion system next year will see the device enter the market both at home and overseas.
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