Phantom Space Corporation Acquires Micro Aerospace Solutions
Phantom Space Corporation, a space transportation technology development and manufacturing company, has announced the successful acquisition of Micro Aerospace Solutions, a leader in space communications systems, space propulsion systems, and electrical hardware design for spacecraft and rockets. Â
The acquisition has further propelled Phantom toward its goal of democratizing space access by mass manufacturing launch vehicles, satellites, and space propulsion systems. This is the second in a series of acquisitions made by Phantom, the first being StratSpace in May.
Micro Aerospace Solutions specializes in micro satellites, thruster design, propulsion systems, attitude control, command and data handling, and computer communications systems for spacecraft and rockets. They have proprietary wide-band communications hardware which allows a broader range of connectivity in multiple spectrums through software defined radio, proprietary in-space propulsion systems, extensive experience with electrical system design specific to in-space infrastructure, microcontroller systems, environmental control, navigation and tracking, imaging systems, scientific sensors, and display systems. They also offer spacecraft and system testing, data collection and development.
MAS’ background in aerospace systems allows them to understand low-power and high-efficiency designs with tight tolerance requirements. They’ve assisted many groups in realizing their system designs, thus allowing them to quickly and effectively get to market in broad business areas such as spaceflight, satellite design and deployment, and control systems for launch vehicle systems. MAS also brings experience in ISO9000 and NASA standard compliances which will benefit Phantom Space corporate wide.
“With every passing day, the democratization of space access becomes more and more of a reality,” said Jim Cantrell, co-founder and CEO of Phantom. “A significant revolution in low cost and low-hassle space access is underway and as a result we are seeing a vertical integration of the launch and satellite markets as a single product offering to many customers. Offering bundled launch and satellite bus products allows experts in space imaging, IOT and other space applications to concentrate on building that part of their business rather than spending energy and resources on developing the underlying satellite and launch technologies. By acquiring Micro Aerospace Solutions and integrating their technology into our own, we are furthering Phantom’s mass manufacturing and distribution of space transportation technology, enabling us to push these discussions and explorations forward even more.”
MAS has been involved in the design, development and flight of many ISS Payloads as well as providing ISS certification testing, including PRCU, EMI, vibration and off-gassing. MAS provides services for hardware and software development that continues from the prototype stage to include the requirements needed for space flight (i.e. telemetry and command formatting, watchdog timers, power management, file download) implemented in a flight ready ISS experiment command and data handling system. They also have a Space Act agreement with NASA to use Kennedy Space Center facilities for the development of this technology.
“This is an exciting time for us to be joining Phantom and helping them make their vision a reality,” said Don Platt, founder of Micro Aerospace Solutions. “They’ve had an incredible year thus far, and have a lot in store for the near future, including the launch of the Phantom Daytona rocket. To have our technology be a part of this historic moment in time is exhilarating, as is watching our technology grow as a result of the acquisition.”