Houston, we don’t have a problem. Brno will have its own satellite in space
She is big. The largest in the era of the Czech Republic. And it all comes from Brno. The Brno-based company TRL Space will send the historically largest Czech satellite TROLL into space. In orbit, it will test new technologies to ensure space contact and avoid collisions. When it will get there, however, is not yet clear.
Click to enlarge
Visualization of the TROLL satellite.
| Photo: Courtesy of TLR Space
Brno-based TRL Space will become one of a handful of European companies that can assemble a complete satellite system. It is a common practice that its individual parts are put together by different companies. “Our mission is to advance the horizons of the space industry by combining different technologies, and above all to create added value. We have a unique opportunity to test new products that will have an impact on all of humanity in the future – for example, greater security of space, improvement of communication between satellites and the Earth. Finally, thanks to the LUGO mission, we will explore the surface of the Moon and bring humanity one step closer to a better understanding of it for use in the future,” said Petr Kapoun, founder and executive director of TRL Space.
Space “highways”
More than five and a half thousand satellites are currently orbiting the Earth. By 2029, there will be over a hundred thousand of them, according to estimates. Calculations indicate that such operation means about forty precipitations per year. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure safe “paths” in orbit. Satellite debris and space debris pose a huge risk to other satellites.
Difficult task. The search for planets, like Earth, will also begin thanks to technology from Brno
This is to be done by a device labeled LiDAR, which the Brno satellite will carry. It is a laser that TRL Space runs together with the HiLase center. The laser is connected to a detector capable of monitoring objects moving in orbit with high precision. Artificial intelligence will then evaluate the risk of collision and the satellite will deviate from the risky course. “Eventually, we want to use the technology in the exploration of the Moon and the creation of maps of its subsurface,” added the director of the HiLASE center, Tomáš Mocek.
He thus outlined other plans that TRL Space has in the space industry. Petr Kapoun intends to put the Czech flag on the moon. “This is our goal for 2030. We intend to prove that countries from our region can create and implement their own probe-sized mission to the moon. However, it is not an ambition for its own sake. As such, the mission aims to scan the Moon and create a map of its subsurface. Because there is scientific data there, for which there is a great hunger. In addition, the underground of the Moon contains many lava passages, in which mineral wealth is hidden. Second, it’s an ideal way to build a human village there, or to continue exploring. Radiation is fatal for us and the devices. However, you have a natural radiation shield underground,” Kapoun told Deník earlier.
Guru of the space industry in the Czech Republic
Petr Kapoun, born in Brno, is one of the most outstanding personalities of the Czech space industry. He was at the birth of the Czech branch of SAB Aerospace, which achieved a number of successes under his baton. It has developed parts of several space rockets, participates in research into the functioning of immunity in space, or looks for ways to mine mineral wealth in space.
Seven shikuls of South Moravia: pea scientist, discoverer of space and virtual reality
The last project started by Petr Kapoun is the Plato satellite. During its mission, it will search for planets outside the solar system similar to Earth.
The launch of the satellite is scheduled for 2026. Twenty-six attached cameras will capture radiation from approximately two hundred thousand stars. According to his findings, it will reveal the planets’ presence, size and age. From the data collected by the satellites, the scientists then deduce which of these planets could be suitable for life. “If it succeeds, I hope that the first discovered planet will be named Brno,” said Transport Minister Martin Kupka with a smile.
You were able to read this article thanks to a subscription to Deník Klub
