Coherent Corp. has secured $15 million in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation wide- and ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors, specifically silicon carbide and single-crystal diamond. The funding will be distributed through the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors Hub, which the company is a member of, led by North Carolina State University.
Coherent’s CHIPS funding will go toward advancing wide- and ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors. Courtesy of Coherent.
PHOENIX — Semiconductor manufacturer TSMC Arizona and the U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S. DoC) have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms for up to $6.6 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act as well as a proposal for up to $5 billion in loans. The funding will go toward the construction of its first and second semiconductor fabrication sites in Arizona as well as a proposed third fabrication site.
DANBURY, Conn. — ARKA Group, an optics company for defense, has completed an expansion of its 550,000 sq ft facility in Danbury, Conn. to expand production capability of smallsat systems, payloads, and optical coating capabilities. The two-year, 14,000-foot, $85 million expansion provides modern cleanrooms for rapid alignment, integration and test of sub-meter aperture EO/IR telescopes, and payloads. The layout, combined with deployment of digital engineering and manufacturing tools, provides efficiencies for ARKA to perform multi-shift payload production.
BlueHalo’s LOCUST laser weapon system. Courtesy of BlueHalo.
ARLINGTON, Va. — C-UAS and autonomous systems company BlueHalo was awarded a four-year logistics support contract to provide the U.S. Army preventative and corrective maintenance along with operator and maintenance team training for the Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL) system. It will also provide its LOCUST laser weapon system, which uses P-HEL as a foundation and combines precision optical and laser hardware with advanced software, artificial intelligence, and processing.
RESTON, Va. — Bowman Consulting Group Ltd., a national engineering services firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire St. Louis-based Surdex Corporation, a geospatial and engineering services firm providing low-, medium-, and high-altitude digital orthoimagery, high-resolution lidar, digital mapping, 3D hydrography, and disaster mapping. Bowman expects Surdex will initially operate at an annualized net service billing run rate of approximately $28 million and the negotiated purchase price of $44 million, including all Surdex assets, will be comprised of a combination of cash, seller notes, and 505,541 shares of Bowman common stock.
DENVER — Telecommunications company Skyloom Global Corp has been selected by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, for an $18 million strategic funding increase contract for the development of network infrastructure elements of space optical satellite communications for a hybrid space architecture to augment assured communications in a contested environment. Skyloom and SkyBridge, a subsidiary of Knowledge Bridge International, Inc., will collaborate to bring the solutions to use. The company will perform testing and qualification of a high-performance mesh network controller, combat cloud edge node processor, and optical communications terminals for airborne, ground, maritime, and space domains.
The IRIS optical ground station, which will be supplied to the SSC. Courtesy of Safran Data Systems.
PARIS — Safran Data Systems, a Safran Electronics & Defense company, has signed a contract with Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) to supply an optical ground station designed to support Earth-space communications at data rates 10 to 100 times faster than radiofrequency systems and will be installed in Chile at the end of this year. Safran will deliver SSC an IRIS optical ground station, consisting of a 50 cm laser telescope and optronics systems that ensure optimal coverage of the sky. The new optical ground station will join the NODES network developed by SSC under contract awarded by the European Space Agency, with the support of the Swedish National Space Agency, in the frame of its ARTES Scylight program.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Developer of industrial laser systems for laser cleaning Laser Photonics Corporation and manufacturer of remote-controlled robotic machines Brokk Inc. have formed a technology partnership to bring laser cleaning and cutting technology to the mining, tunneling, construction, metal processing, military, nuclear disposal, and decommissioning ecosystems. Brokk will integrate Laser Photonics Corporation laser cleaning and cutting technology alongside its remote-controlled robots allowing operators to operate heavy jobs in dangerous settings effectively and safely.
The full-scale model of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in Austin, Texas in 2013. Courtesy of Northrup Grumman.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company, has gifted its James Webb Space Telescope full-scale model to the Space Foundation. The model will be permanently displayed at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. As the prime contractor on Webb, Northrop Grumman led the design, development, observatory integration, and prepared the observatory for launch and currently supports Webb’s operations and maintenance. Prior to the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021, the full-scale model traveled the world for more than a decade to raise awareness of Webb’s engineering and mission.
TORONTO — Satellite telecommunications provider Kepler Communications, Inc. has entered into an agreement with TESAT-Spacecom and Airbus Defence and Space to develop a high bandwidth optical communications network in low Earth orbit to address emerging opportunities such as the European Space Agency’s High Throughput Optical Network program. Under the agreement, Kepler will head and provide spacecraft constellation design, manufacturing, and operation, building on the technologies within its commercial space segment and existing ground segment. TESAT is contributing space optical and network payload development, while Airbus is leveraging optical communication by contributing operational and system engineering as well as access to optical ground stations to the project.
Head of engineering at Aeva’s German Automotive Center of Excellence Axel Gern. Courtesy of Aeva.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif — Aeva, a sensing and perception systems developer, is expanding its presence in Europe with a new Automotive Center of Excellence in Germany to support its growing momentum with automotive OEM customers. The center will also benefit Aeva’s development of 4D lidar sensing and perception technologies for fully autonomous passenger and commercial vehicle programs. Axel Gern, who previously held senior engineering leadership positions at Mercedes Benz and Torc Robotics, has been appointed head of engineering of the center.