Flawless Photonics Inc., a privately held seed-funded company that has built a team of materials, photonics, robotics and space experts, has announced that their ZBLAN SpaceFiberTM manufactured on the International Space Station has been returned to Earth.
“Flawless Photonics was able to draw fiber sixteen times on the International Space Station (ISS) between Feb 9, 2024, and Mar 14, 2024 – each operation was witnessed by NASA, ESA, LSA and ISS National Lab. We successfully drew long lengths that expand our product opportunities. The feedback we received has been extremely encouraging from our partners and potential customers,”
explained Rob Loughan, the Chief Executive Officer of Flawless Photonics Inc.
Dr. Michael Vestel, the Chief Technology Officer of Flawless Photonics Inc., noted that
“the demonstrations onboard the ISS exceeded hardware performance expectations, demonstrating commercial scale manufacturing. It is exciting to demonstrate to the world that microgravity enables you to make materials that you cannot make on Earth. To draw fiber in space, we had to shrink a 30-foot draw tower to ~30 inches to fit in the ISS Microgravity Sciences Glovebox, but it was the automation that was the game changer that allowed us to succeed.”
Hubert Moser, the Senior Director of Engineering of Flawless Photonics, announced
“Flawless Photonics broke all the records for making fiber in space. We will be receiving over ten kilometers of the SpaceFiberTM, with the longest exceeding 1.1 km.”
“Our team and our partners are excited about these technical and product performance achievements. The results have allowed us to ramp up our commercialization and schedule as we engage with customers and partners for early evaluations of our ZBLAN SpaceFiberTM,” added Mr. Loughan.
About Flawless Photonics
Flawless Photonics settled in Luxembourg in 2021 and specializes in manufacturing optical glasses, fibres, and components in microgravity. The company produces the so-called Space FiberTM, an optical fibre from a fluoride glass called ZBLAN, produced in microgravity conditions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Flawless Photonics recently started producing fibre using ZBLAN onboard the International Space Station (ISS) resulting in the production of almost 12 kms of high-quality fibre in space. Building on its successful experiment, it is the first company to achieve such a feat in microgravity.
While the US headquarters focuses on the commercial applications of the fibre, the Luxembourg-based office focuses on the production side and counts 14 “machine builders” – from space engineers and robotics experts to chemists – who are actively working in close collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) among others, to create a flawless fibre.
For more information about Flawless Photonics please visit www.flawlessphotonics.com
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