NEWS
New developments in the Aerospace & Defence
How Fujitsu Is Helping Clean Up Space Junk by Steven Gislam
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ess than a year after the UK Space Agency committed £1 million in funding to combat the growing problem of space junk, Fujitsu UK has announced the successful combination of quantum-inspired computing and Artificial Intelligence to transform space debris removal. Fujitsu’s prototype, which was created in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Astroscale UK, and the University of Glasgow, will improve mission planning so that a single spacecraft can efficiently select which pieces of space debris to remove in one mission, and at a much faster rate than is currently possible. The removal of space debris is key to sustainability in space, reducing, or even preventing, the risk of obsolete spacecraft colliding with new and existing satellites. Fujistu also claims that its technology will help to reduce the risk of catastrophic collisions in orbit which could create thousands of other pieces of new debris, all of which pose a very real threat to working satellites in orbit. By carefully deciding which debris is collected and when, the quantum-inspired technology, powered by Digital Annealer, optimises the mission plan to determine the minimum fuel and minimum time required to bring inoperable spacecraft or satellites safely back to the disposal orbit. Finding the optimal route to collect the space debris will save significant time and cost
during the mission planning phase, and also as a consequence will improve commercial viability. With 2,350 non-working satellites currently in orbit, and more than 28,000 pieces of debris being tracked by Space Surveillance networks, Fujitsu says its technology will help the UK to grow its market share in the space sector, and further support the UK Government’s commitment to a more sustainable future overall. The research has been carried out as part of the UK Space Agency grant “Advancing Research into Space Surveillance and Tracking”. The project, which was developed over six months in accordance with Government Digital Services guidelines, leverages both Artificial Neural Network (ANN)based rapid trajectory design algorithms, developed by the University of Glasgow, alongside Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer and Quantum Inspired Optimisation Services to solve some of the main optimisation problems associated with ADR (Active Debris Removal) mission planning design. Ellen Devereux, Digital Annealer Consultant at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, said: "All space debris poses a potential collision risk to the operational systems many of us take for granted – from weather forecasting to telecommunications... We’ve designed a solution to optimise the mission planning of a servicing craft before it is sent into space – meaning organisations like Astroscale UK can pick up more debris, more quickly than ever before."
Cobham And Ultra Electronics Reach £2.6bn Deal by Ash Jones
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nglish aerospace company Cobham has agreed to buy fellow UK rival defence company Ultra Electronics after agreeing to a £2.6 billion (€3.05 billion) takeover deal following several weeks of deliberations. The purchase, which caused both parties to agree to a 3,500p per share deal, led to national security concerns from Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, but Cobham's owner has promised to safeguard UK jobs and "protect national security" in an attempt to allay any fears the government may raise over the acquisition. Cobham issued a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning saying it would "invest in Ultra’s UK workforce by protect18 Industry Europe
ing existing and creating new UK manufacturing and engineering jobs and apprenticeships and maintaining a UK headquarters”. It added it “recognises the specific importance of Ultra’s contribution to the UK’s economy and national security”. The company is noteworthy owing to its pioneering of air-to-air refuelling techniques. Its acquisition by US equity firm Advent in 2020 introduced it to the private sector. It added it would seek to work with officials to ensure the deal does not hinder Ultra's current commitments, provided any terms of the deal are not vetoed by shareholders and open a forum to enable “ongoing dialogue, co-operation and monitoring” to ensure transparency for the deal, the company claims.
An artist's impression of the space debris in Earth's orbit. Photo: ESA–P. Carril
Amazon Web Services provided the Cloud and AI and ML tools and services to support the project. The Amazon Sagemaker toolset was used to rapidly develop the ANNs that accurately predict the costs of orbital transfers in a fraction of the time it would take to calculate them in full. Astroscale UK is the world’s first commercial company to start a demonstration mission to remove debris from the lower Earth orbit. The company is providing the end-use case as a representative user of multi-target mission optimisation. Fujitsu, who spearheaded the project, is one of just seven UK companies to be awarded a share of over £1 million from the UK Space Agency to help track debris in space. Jacob Geer, Head of Space Surveillance and Tracking, UK Space Agency, said: "Monitoring hazardous space objects is vital for the protection of services we all rely on - from communications devices to satellite navigation. "This project is one of the first examples of quantum-inspired computing working with artificial intelligence to solve the problems space debris causes, but it's unlikely to be the last." Visit: www.fujitsu.com/uk However, the UK government says it will continue to monitor the situation, with Kwarteng reportedly launching a national security investigation under the Enterprise Act - a law protecting fair competition for UK businesses in the face of acquisitions. Under the law, he could theoretically intervene in mergers and acquisitions in case of a national security threat. Ultra provides a number of useful services to the UK government, such as radar tech for the Royal Navy or control systems for Trident - the country's nuclear arsenal. The company's shareholders are set to receive £35 per share, in line with the price announced in July, up from an initial offer of £28 per share. The deal will help Cobham break into the maritime defence market. Visit: www.cobham.com
