TU Delft

Space Institute

The TU Delft Space Institute combines the strengths of different faculties of the TU Delft to enable ground-breaking and cutting edge research in the Space domain.

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The mission of the TU Delft Space Institute is to bundle and create expertise on Space for local, regional and global impact on research, education and valorization. Our vision is to contribute to ground-breaking solutions to the Space sector to serve scientific, economic and societal needs.

Sensing from Space

Sensors are of critical importance to any spacecraft. Amazing progress has been made in this field, due to miniaturization and the development of new technologies. Sensing from Space is one of three focal themes of TU Delft Space Institute. Better sensors and smarter measuring strategies are crucial for monitoring the earth and exploring the wider universe.

Smaller
Miniaturization is the engine of innovation in spaceflight: it enables satellites to be lighter, cheaper and easier to build. The scientists at TU Delft Space Institute push the miniaturization of space sensors systems by developing miniaturized radar systems and optical instruments, among others. The institute also works on platform technology for sensor systems, which shortens the development time of satellites.

Never seen before
Terahertz sensing is a young field of astronomy: it bridges the gap between infrared and microwave radiation. TU Delft is world leader in the field of superconducting terahertz sensors. Our scientists develop and build extremely sensitive detectors for astronomers to use in telescopes, balloon missions and satellites. This will give us new insights into our universe, from the life cycle of the interstellar medium to the evolution of galaxies and the physics of the time shortly after the Big Bang.

Planet Earth
Satellites do not only observe deep space. The majority of satellites is built for navigation, communication and earth observation. Todays weather forecasts, climate predictions and environmental knowledge rely heavily on satellite data. Atmospheric modeling is an important research topic within TU Delft Space Institute, as well as geophysical modeling. The TU Delft Space Institute collaborates with the TU Delft Institutes for Climate, Safety & Security and Transport.

Big Data
With sensors getting better, the data flow from satellites to earth grows at a fast pace. It is a challenge to manage this data flow. A way to overcome this is processing data on board, instead of on the ground. This comes at a cost, since the raw data are lost in the process. Scientists of TU Delft Space Institute develop new strategies to keep the right balance between the two.

Contact

Jian Rong Gao
j.r.gao@tudelft.nl

Stef Lhermitte
S.Lhermitte@tudelft.nl

Giorgia Giardina
G.Giardina@tudelft.nl

Space Robotics

To sense, to plan and to act: that is the essence of robotics. Space Robotics has enabled mankind to reach places where humans can’t go. The TU Delft Space Institute develops and flies state-of-the-art robotic systems. Mechatronics is an important research domain within Space Robotics. TU Delft has already succesfully demonstrated space mechatronics systems in the Delfi nano-satellite missions.

Off the shelf
Commercial technologies for smartphones and the automotive industry are designed to be used solely on earth. Many high-quality electronical circuits and micro-mechanical components (MEMS) are not finding their way into usage in satellites, only because it is unknown if they will survive the harsh environment. The TU Delft Space Institute will enlarge the toolbox of space robotics by designing satellite systems based on bulk market technologies and demonstrating their proper functioning in space.

On-orbit servicing
Space debris is increasingly endangering spaceflight activities. Using nanosatellites to de-orbit debris is a great idea, but each of the required steps – finding, approaching, moving – is a challenging research field on its own. The TU Delft Space Institute has the expertise to provide highly technological input in all these domains. The focus of Space Robotics will be on handling and collecting space debris. Agile systems need to be developed to deal with uncertainties in the dynamical parameters of the debris. The institute will set up ground verification facilities to test the developed concepts. At a later stage, the same technologies could be used for servicing satellites in orbit.

Micropropulsion
To be able to fly nanosatellites in formation or in swarms, the development of miniaturized propulsion systems is essential. Microthrusters need to be efficient, accurate and reliable. The TU Delft Space Institute is researching several types of microthrusters, like cold gas thrusters and resistojets, created in MEMS technology. The institute will lay the groundwork for electric propulsion concepts as well.

Assembly in space
Assembly of large structures in space is a hot topic that will be researched, to facilitate the setup of large infrastructure in space like giant telescopes, transport vehicles or resource harvesting systems for celestial objects.

Contact

Hans Goossen
J.F.L.Goosen@tudelft.nl

Chris Verhoeven c.j.m.verhoeven@tudelft.nl

Distributed Space Systems

Small satellites working together as a team are a major trend in spaceflight. Multiagent systems can be cheaper and more robust than single spacecraft: if one component fails, the others go on. Distributed Space Systems is a focal theme for TU Delft Space Institute. Flight control, communication and decision making are the main challenges in this field.

Networked space systems
Networked space systems form virtual instruments with unprecedented functionality. Single spacecraft have a typical revisiting time of ten to twenty days, for example. Using multiple spacecraft lowers revisiting times immensely which opens possibilities in remote sensing. In a multiple small satellite system, large and varying baselines can be established between the satellites; this creates large virtual instruments. TU Delft Space Institute develops new concepts for global and timely coverage of space systems, as well as systems for distributed control and operation.

Miniaturisation
Spaceflight used to be dominated by the use of conventional, well-proven technologies. Nowadays, new technologies will find their way to space quicker than ever before. Due to miniaturization the development times of space systems are getting shorter: the typical development time of CubeSats in the Delfi-Space Program is 2 to 3 years. This paves the way to the privatization of space. Concurrent engineering is a methodology to reduce development time. This design method is an important research topic at the Space Institute.

Orbit determination
Navigating distributed space systems is a challenge, where Delft’s long tradition on precise orbit determination and navigation comes in handy. And since accumulating space debris forms an increasing threat to space systems, collision avoidance is a priority at the TU Delft Space Institute as well.

Missions
TU Delft Space Institute does not only research ground-breaking technologies. Its engineers and researchers also develop missions to demonstrate innovative distributed space systems – in close collaboration with knowledge institutes and companies. Actually going to space is by far the best way to test our new technologies to the limit.

Contact

Jian Guo j.guo@tudelft.nl

Tamas Keviczky t.keviczky@tudelft.nl

News

news / events

05.11.24

A step forward in Space Observation

23.09.24

SRON/TUDelft contributions to the successful NASA GUSTO balloon mission

26.08.24

Moonshot & Off – Earth Environments Symposium – Sept 19

07.03.24

Balloon Telescope GUSTO lands on Antarctica after record-breaking flight

31.10.23

GUSTO arrived on Antarctica

02.12.22

DSI project call 2022/23 is OPEN to all TU Delft employees

01.12.22

TU Delft Space Institute Seed Grants

08.04.22

NEW subsidy round 2022-1 of the programme ‘Use of space infrastructure for Earth observation and planetary research

31.03.22

Rocket launch 1st April: sending graphene into space for the first time

16.03.21

TU Delft and partners to create superhighway for digital data

18.12.20

Miguel Bessa and Richard Norte of TU Delft have been awarded the Interstellar Initiatives Grant

17.12.20

Online TU Delft Space Institute-TNO-SRON ‘Innovate Your Space’ symposium ‘Smart Space’

17.12.20

Successful Delft Space Institute-TNO-SRON ‘Innovate Your Space’ symposium on December 8th 2020

09.11.20

Terahertz detectors by TU Delft and SRON in the NASA GUSTO project

22.10.20

Program ‘Innovate Your Space’ Symposium with DSI, TNO, and SRON

19.10.20

‘Innovate Your Space’ Joint Symposium with TU Delft, TNO, and SRON on December 8th 2020

04.06.20

New Institute Board TU Delft Space Institute

04.06.20

Extension of the TU Delft Space Institute Advisory Board

28.05.20

Work with space technology and solve tomorrow’s problems

12.03.20

Zebro meets lunar conditions… in Hawaii!

23.01.20

International agreement between AE and NASA in the field of solar sail missions

05.12.19

Delft Space Institute-TNO-SRON “Innovate your Space” symposium – November 26th, 2019

24.10.19

Fourth Symposium Keynote Speaker: Sytze Kampen

17.10.19

Third Symposium Keynote Speaker: Radboud Koop

10.10.19

Second Symposium Keynote Speaker: Pieternel Levelt

03.10.19

First Symposium Keynote Speaker: Han Dolman

19.09.19

Program ‘Innovate your Space’ DSI-TNO-SRON Symposium

12.09.19

‘Innovate Your Space’ Joint Symposium with TU Delft TNO and SRON.

27.08.19

Antarctica ramps up sea level rise

27.08.19

Delfi-PQ: The Delfi space program is preparing for launch of its third satellite

28.05.19

Supervision audit 2018 for space activities of TU Delft

06.04.19

NL-RIA altimetry get-together

04.04.19

Sean Pepper receives Heinz Stoewer Space Award 2019

18.01.19

Space Studies Program 2019 of the International Space University

20.11.18

NERDlab upgrade supported by the TU Delft Space Institute

19.11.18

DSI-TNO-SRON “Innovate your Space” symposium – November 14th, 2018

29.10.18

Introduction Second Symposium Keynote Speaker: Marc Valès

22.10.18

Introduction First Symposium Keynote Speaker: Egbert Jan van der Veen

19.10.18

ESA/TU Delft Workshop on Bi- and Multistatic SAR Systems and Applications on 19-21 March 2019

17.10.18

Eberhard Gill honoured by IAA and IAF

05.10.18

ESA handpicks TU Delft STEREOID and G-CLASS mission proposals

03.10.18

Updated planning for Joint Symposium “Innovate your Space” on November 14th

20.09.18

“Innovate your Space” Joint Symposium with TU Delft TNO and SRON. Smarter, lighter, cheaper is the goal!

12.07.18

PIPP-meeting on Breakthrough Technologies for Interferometry in Space

31.05.18

‘Save our Space’ Talk by Prof. Dr. Gill

04.05.18

Delfi-C3: first TU Delft satellite celebrates 10 years in space

05.04.18

TU Delft and SRON to provide key detectors and technology for NASA’s GUSTO telescope mission

08.02.18

Publication success for DSI researchers

21.12.17

Two PIPP proposals, coordinated by TU Delft, selected by NWO

16.11.17

DSI-TNO “Innovate your Space” symposium – November 9th, 2017

13.11.17

DESHIMA sees first light: a step closer to mapping the most distant star systems

23.10.17

Water as propellant for small spacecraft: first results of TU Delft’s thrusters

15.09.17

31st Space Studies Program (SSP) 2018 of the International Space University (ISU) will take place in the Netherlands

20.07.17

Graphene as a material for solar sails

20.06.17

“Innovate your Space” Symposium together with TNO

15.05.17

TU Delft part of two teams winning ESA’s study for Cubesats to the Moon

30.03.17

Space2020 Workshop to celebrate 2.5 years of success

27.03.17

NASA Selects Mission to Study Churning Chaos in our Milky Way and Beyond

10.03.17

Talk about the KickSat project, crowdsourcing the World’s Smallest Spacecraft, by Zac Manchester

08.03.17

Lecture STO-2 Balloon Mission over Antarctica by Dr. Jian Rong Gao

31.01.17

STO2 safely landed and retrieved data

13.12.16

Polar balloon STO2 on its way

30.11.16

DSI Symposium: Space for Society

07.11.16

First DSI Space Drink at EKL

05.10.16

First Learning Robot in Space

12.09.16

DSI Presents to ESA Director General Jan Woerner

27.06.16

Space Lecture Series: Giorgio Saccoccia, Head of Propulsion and Aerothermodynamics Division of ESA on September 21st

23.06.16

NVR (Netherlands Space Society) Annual General Meeting at TU Delft on Monday June 20th

02.06.16

Guest Lecture “Mechanics of Asteroid Exploration” of Professor Dr. Scheeres on June 7th

09.05.16

Special Section in Journal “Acta Astronautica” Published

17.04.16

Space Engineering Department keeps growing

31.03.16

Arrival of KUKA robot

07.03.16

CESUN Europe event 2016 on 21-22 of April

15.02.16

‘New Space: Launching Entrepreneurship’ Symposium VSV ‘Leonardo da Vinci’

26.01.16

Launch of the NASA balloon borne Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO2) is shifted to next year

18.01.16

Delft terahertz detectors to be launched from Antarctica soon

14.01.16

Space Lecture Series: Jan Wörner, Director General of ESA on January 20th

07.01.16

Lecture Robotic Space Exploration on December 14th

29.10.15

Student networking event “Discover your Space” on November 17th

27.10.15

Delft students launch record breaking rocket

08.10.15

NOVA develops METIS instrument with European Southern Observatory (ESO)

29.09.15

Delft home to 5th CEAS Air & Space Conference

21.09.15

Delft students prepare for launch Stratos II+ rocket

21.09.15

TU Delft Space Institute in Netherlands Space Society magazine (NVR)

10.09.15

Space Lecture Series: Mr. Robbie Schingler of Planet Labs

25.06.15

Space Lecture Series: Prof. Dr. Christoph Keller “Are we alone? The technical challenges of finding life on an exoplanet.”

21.06.15

Piggybacking on interplanetary missions

15.06.15

Swarms in space – Conference

15.06.15

Mission accomplished

31.05.15

International Workshop on Satellite Constellations and Formation Flying

20.05.15

News: TU Delft launches new Space Institute

10.05.15

News: Ice-propelled nanosatellites

05.05.15

News: PhD Board

05.02.15

Announcement opening symposium TU Delft Space Institute

A step forward in Space Observation

Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), in close collaboration with SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and LongWave Photonics LLC, have achieved a breakthrough in terahertz spectroscopy—a vital technology to study galaxies, stars, and planetary formation. They created a centimeter-sized, lightweight terahertz spectrometer that could replace traditional half-meter-sized, bulky, and heavy spectrometers in future space observatories. The new device could significantly reduce costs and offer greater flexibility in launching, making these space observatories more affordable and feasible. The innovation is published in Laser & Photonics Reviews.

The entire news item can be read here