QinetiQ, an international defense and security technology company headquartered in the UK and Space Micro Inc of San Diego, California, have signed a teaming agreement that will see each company sell the other’s capabilities in their home markets. Space Micro provides radiation-hardened micro-electronics and electronic systems principally for the satellite market. Its products include the Proton series of space qualified single board computers that have been delivered to customers including NASA, the US Missile Defense Agency, and the US Air Force. QinetiQ’s UK Space business and its Belgian-based subsidiary Verhaert Space will act as routes to market for Space Micro, principally in Europe. In return, Space Micro will market QinetiQ’s Merlin space weather hazard detection system in North America. Merlin is a small, low power system that provides continuous data on the hazards posed by space weather to equipment onboard satellites and other spacecraft. It has recently been flown on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Galileo test-bed satellite providing vital information for the final development of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system. “Merlin is an excellent addition to the portfolio of products we offer to the North American market”, said David R. Czajkowski, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer of Space Micro. “The sophisticated instrumentation used on communications satellites and other spacecraft is increasingly vulnerable to space weather. Merlin provides early diagnosis of unexpected events and allows corrective measures to be taken quickly and effectively.” Paul Smith, Chief Operating Officer of QinetiQ’s UK Space business said: “Space Micro applies innovative approaches to the challenges of designing electronics for the space environment. Their expertise complements our own and ensures their solutions achieve levels of performance that will be extremely attractive to the European space industry.” The teaming agreement also acts as a framework for future technical cooperation on the development of next generation space weather technology and space-hardened electronics. This could include joint technical teams comprising scientists from both Space Micro and QinetiQ.
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About Space Micro Inc:
Founded in 2002 as a satellite technology research and development company, Space Micro Inc. is a leader in taking technologies from the commercial sector and applying these to meet the needs of the Space, Aerospace, Military, and Domestic Security markets. Space Micro is a pioneer in providing radiation-hardened by design solutions for advanced electronic systems and microelectronics, including the development of the worlds fastest small space computers such as the Proton200k™. Other Space Micro innovations include the Proton300K™; Proton400K™; TTMR™; H-CORE™ and Radsite™. Space Micro is an employee-owned company based in San Diego, CA, USA.
About QinetiQ:
•QinetiQ (pronounced as in ‘kinetic energy’) is a leading international defense and security technology business that was formed in July 2001 from the UK Government’s Defense Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA). QinetiQ has approximately 13,500 employees, who deliver technology-based services and exploit QinetiQ’s strengths in technology research by selling systems solutions, products and licenses to government and commercial customers in a spectrum of defense, security and related commercial markets.
•In February 2006, QinetiQ Group plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange (main market) and joined the FTSE250 in June 2006. In the year to 31 March 2007, QinetiQ delivered a 17.4 per cent rise in underlying operating profit before tax to £106.0m on turnover which rose by 9.3 per cent to £1,149.5m.
Contacts:
QinetiQ:
Space Micro Inc.
10401 Roselle Street San Diego, CA 92121
Tel: 858-332-0700
FAX: 858-332-0709
Internet: www.spacemicro.com
Inquiries: [email protected]
