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We believe that increasing ease of access to space is both inevitable—as a result of the growing economy and diversification of space-based applications—as well as essential to rapid technology development for space that is well-paced with the constantly accelerating state-of-the-art. StarSpec is at the forefront of this revolution in space, providing the necessary agility and continuous innovation required to meet the increasing demand in the new space supply chain.
Our vision is a world in which accessing the uncapped research, development, and commercial potential of space and near-space environments is limited only by the imaginations of those who endeavor to Rethink Space.
StarSpec is proud to announce the commissioning of our new space technology site: Canada's first fully commercial suborbital and space-based assembly, manufacturing, and testing facility. Located in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, this facility will serve as a primary base for integration and real-time operations of StarSpec's large NASA-contracted suborbital payloads, as well as technology development and manufacturing of space-based imaging hardware for LEO SmallSats. From this facility, StarSpec also looks forward to the launch of its InspireSat product line, which will enable fast and at-scale access to critical components used for high-res Earth-imaging satellites in support of emerging critical infrastructure, surveillance, and climate monitoring application.
More updates on tooling up our new facility coming soon - stay tuned!
StarSpec is pleased to announce the successful completion of Year 1 for NASA's EXCITE project! This state-of-the-art payload is designed to have the same imaging stability as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in order to be able to perform detailed analyses of exoplanet atmospheres that could possibly be very similar to Earth. Set to for integration to begin at NASA in Spring of 2023, EXCITE will launch it's first Test Flight in Fall 2023 with the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) from Ft. Sumner, NM. After successful recovery, EXCITE is queued to launch from McMurdo, Antarctica in Winter 2024 on a football-stadium sized balloon capable of lifting all 3000 lbs of scientific hardware into the stratosphere at three times higher than a typical jet (40 km altitude), during which StarSpec systems will allow EXCITE to collect highly precise exoplanet data.
Click below, to get a sneak peak at some of operational behind-the-scenes capabilities:
StarSpec is celebrating an amazing press release from one of our core founding projects, SuperBIT - the Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope! Based on and supported by StarSpec's core suborbital technology, SuperBIT is looking to fly on NASA's super-pressure balloon system from Wanaka, New Zealand with imaging capabilities rivaling the famous Hubble Space Telescope. Click below to learn more about how StarSpec is enabling projects like SuperBIT to realize space-based capabilities faster, cheaper, and more effectively.
StarSpec's approach to rapid development for space adds value at every critical link in the suborbital and satellite supply chain. We have modularized and standardized our approach to space-based hardware & software, providing unprecedented development times from concept to launch while continually keeping pace with the state-of-the-art.
StarSpec provides flight-proven technology and flight-critical expertise interfacing with international launch providers, including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES —Centre National d'Études Spatiales) as well as with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The StarSpec team has demonstrated unparalleled flight capabilities for an unprecedented number of successful state-of-the-art suborbital payloads launched and operated from sites across North America and worldwide.
The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a state-of-the-art, high precision spectrometer-based instrument built and developed out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA-GSFC). StarSpec provides EXCITE with a three-axis stabilized balloon-borne platform with the necessary precision for near-space characterization of exoplanet atmospheres, a critical component of potentially life-bearing planets beyond our solar system. Scheduled to launch from McMurdo, Antarctica in 2025, EXCITE will be carried to the stratospheric environment via a football-stadium-sized balloon as part of NASA's Long Duration Balloon (LDB) program.
Latest News here!
The Targeted Advancements in Robustly Designed Instrumentation for Generic RADiation Environments (TARDIGRADE) project explores a potentially revolutionary approach to radiation tolerance of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) based electronics for space-based applications. Working hand-in-hand with Canada's TRIUMF radiation test facility in Vancouver, StarSpec's main goals for the TARDIGRADE project are to not only demonstrate suitability of our Modified-COTS approach for modern applications in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), but to both standardize and streamline the space technology development process with a target 1-3 month timeline from concept to qualification.
TAURUS is a balloon-borne platform designed to make highly precise measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the echo of the Big Bang and the creation of the early Universe. With expertise in stratospheric and near-space instrumentation, StarSpec provides TAURUS with rapidly fabricated and flight-vetted components, including star cameras, flight computers, mechanical structure, and power systems, all of which have heritage with NASA. Utilizing NASA's state-of-the-art Super-pressure Balloon (SPB) platform, TAURUS is scheduled to launch from Wanaka, New Zealand in 2027, with StarSpec providing technical and consulting support from concept through to operations.
StarSpec is excited to work with you on your next project! From prototyping instrumentation on balloon-borne platforms operating at the edge of space to production line manufacturing for next-gen satellite constellation applications, StarSpec's technology development approach defines the new standard in accelerated concept-to-launch timescales. Our approach is engineered for continuous innovation, maintaining pace with the state-of-the-art while affording high versatility in customer-centered space-based applications.
StarSpec's goal is to meet the needs of new space applications at every scale—from individual components and modular flight software to partnerships on fully-integrated payloads from concept to launch. Our team has earned decades of experience designing, building, integrating, and operating space-based technologies with demanding engineering and operational requirements. We have demonstrated the high-impact success of the StarSpec approach for a growing number of rapidly developed suborbital and technology development endeavors—and this is only the beginning!
StarSpec Technologies is at the epicenter of Canadian technological innovation. We are based in Cambridge, Canada, one of the foremost technological hubs within the Toronto-region and across Canada with access to technology leaders and innovators from the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph, the Perimeter Institute, the University of Toronto, and a number of exceptional technical institutes. StarSpec's advantageous proximity to world-class academic and technical institutions is enhanced by the strong presence of leading-edge technology manufacturing and distributors in and around the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area, right at StarSpec’s doorstep. With these resources and ample space to grow, StarSpec looks to continue breaking new ground in satellite and suborbital technology, contracting and collaborating with institutions, agencies, and industries in Canada, the United States, and around the world.
