04
Focus area
Upstream hardware and onboard systems for Arctic-relevant space missions
Payloads, buses and onboard software designed for polar orbit rather than adapted to it.
04.1
Why this matters in the Arctic
Missions that serve the Arctic operate in a specific envelope: polar orbits with frequent but short contact windows, a higher radiation dose crossing the poles, cold and constrained power, and users who need answers in minutes rather than after a full downlink and ground processing chain.
That argues for hardware and onboard software built for these conditions — and for moving more of the processing on board, so what comes down is a detection or an alert rather than a raw scene. Norway also has an established ground segment and instrument community to build on.
We are looking for component, payload and onboard-system ideas with a credible path from prototype to a product other missions will buy.
04.2
Relevant technologies and data sources
Payloads and instruments
Compact SAR and RF payload components, optical, thermal and hyperspectral instruments, antennas, detectors, calibration approaches for low-light polar conditions.
Onboarding processing
Edge AI and inference on board, data reduction before downlink, autonomous tasking and event detection, onboard software frameworks and verification.
Platform and environment
Small satellite buses and subsystems, radiation-tolerant electronics, thermal and power design for polar orbit, mechanisms and materials at low temperature.
Links and ground segment
Optical and RF inter-satellite links, high-rate downlink within short polar passes, ground station interfaces, test and qualification facilities available through partners.
04.3
Partner expertise available to you
Selected teams get access to partner expertise, data and facilities alongside seed funding and business coaching.
Partner
KSAT
Mission and ground segment experience, downlink requirements, and the operator’s view of what a payload must deliver.
Partner
UiT — The Arctic University of Norway
Instrument and sensor research, physics and engineering groups, laboratory and test capacity.
Partner
Norinnova
Technology transfer, IPR and investment readiness for hardware ventures.
04.4
Your contact for this area
Contact person to be confirmed
Area lead from KSAT. Until the name is published, write to the Arctic Phi-Lab and we will route your question.
Ready to outline this idea?
One or two pages is enough to start the conversation.