BEN CARTWRIGHT. LEAD ENGINEER, THE FLAME TRENCH
Ben Cartwright is a spacecraft systems and electronics engineer working on a variety of space applications between flagship science and nanosatellite missions. These include high-reliability science instrumentation at STFC RAL Space, where he has designed instruments for NASA's PUNCH and ESA's Lagrange and THESEUS projects, as well as contributing to system studies for provisional cubesat missions.
Ben is working on TFTqube, an innovative amateur PocketQube concept, with The Flame Trench: aiming to develop new structural ideas to maximise interior payload volume.
He is now applying the lessons learned with TFTqube to develop the Squire advanced PocketQube platform with Citadel Space Systems, aiming to revolutionise nanosatellite capability in LEO and beyond.
Presentation Synopsis:
‘Developing TFTqube - Innovative pocketqube platform concepts’
TFTqube is a 1p pocketqube built by The Flame Trench - a group of students and professional engineers, teachers and scientists in the rocketry and space industries. TFTqube is being built to fly 1-3 small payloads built by British and American students, to be selected via proposal competition in an upcoming academic year.
In this talk Ben will present the TFTqube design, discuss the engineering decisions behind our unique platform concept, and talk about the progress of the project so far as well as what is to come.
TFTqube is an innovative 1p pocketqube concept built using a “cross” shaped rigid-flex PCB instead of 6 rigid PCB sides. This allows tighter integration of the platform systems, hopefully allowing more payload volume to be realised. The lessons learned from developing the design in its preliminary stages is informing platform design decisions for pocketqubes at Citadel Space Systems.
