The LACE (Low-Altitude Advanced Communications and Earth Observation) mission draws on 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s specific strengths in very low orbit dynamics, advanced communications, artificial intelligence, materials science, cybersecurity, environmental monitoring and entrepreneurship to launch smart, secure, and sustainable satellites for resilient, sovereign communications and real-time monitoring.
Massive satellite constellations can provide nations, corporations and other users of such technology with a significant amount of data. The capabilities of these constellations have evolved beyond location and communication; they now provide sophisticated computation services, precision sensing and security for terrestrial and space systems.
The data collected, and the ability to analyse and utilise it, has applications across society from cloud computing and detecting indicators of climate change, to tracking natural and manmade disasters and supporting smart systems.
Our next generation of massive constellations, however, must address the challenges of resilience, security and sustainability. They must effectively self-manage, self-optimise and self-heal whilst continuing to function as needed for their users. Creating a safe and secure region above our planet is essential to protecting our planet and the people on it.
Space, Security and Telecoms’ LACE mission (Low-Altitude Advanced Communications and Earth Observation) aims to help solve these challenges. This mission will investigate the design, development and deployment of a truly smart and sustainable satellite membrane around Earth, and utilise the under-exploited Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) region.
By 2030 we will fly the LACE Pathfinder: a pair of demonstration satellites that show, for the first time, what a reconfigurable, self-repairing, self-disposing satellite system can do for connectivity, security and sustainability.
Work with us
Throughout this mission, we will convene a range of stakeholders to advocate for a resilient, secure and sustainable satellite and space industry. We are seeking to align with, and obtain support from, government and policymakers, space agencies, industry (telecoms providers, insurance companies), philanthropists and foundations, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni and other interested parties.
If you are interested in learning more about the LACE mission, please contact space-security-convergence@imperial.ac.uk.
Mission development workshops
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø community has been instrumental in refining the LACE mission. The Space, Security and Telecoms Co-Directors undertook a number of workshops to gather insights from colleagues.