Space companies are reevaluating their strategies to ensure they work. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing them to think over the implementation of these strategies. This move is because their tests are not entirely computerized. They still depend on human beings, for instance, in launching the robot vehicles. One such company is Spacebit.
Spacebit is planning to implement two of its space vehicle designs. The firm is also widening its scope by training more engineers and introducing assembly points in other continents.
Whereas other firms are retrenching their workers to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, Spacebit is training recruits. Spacebit Founder Pavlo Tanasyuk says that the firm is going to hire more engineers and architects. This move is to ensure continuous workflow in the company. The engineers are going to test drive the robotic vehicles.
Tanasyuk says that Spacebit has enough funds to run for the next two years. He further adds that private investors are critical to the survival of this firm. Tansyuk retorts that hiring more engineers is going to hasten the implementation of Spacebit’s projects. Therefore, work is going on in Spacebit amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Spacebit hopes that with this workforce, Asagumo rover is going to take off in 2021. For this to happen, engineers are producing each part of the rover in pairs. Once a part fails, they replace it and redesign the failure for better performance. The firm expects continuous production so that the test drive happens early.
The pairs of this rover are similar, with the exception that they are from different manufacturers. Tanasyuk says that this plan is to ensure that the two manufacturers deliver their best quality amidst competition.
Tanasyuk further reports that they are going to do test drives in Japan, the UK, and the US. It implies engineers are going to assemble the components of the space vehicles in these countries before testing them.
Tanasyuk hopes that this pandemic initiates a paradigm shift in Spacebit with the launch of Asagumo in the three countries. He is hopeful that this plan works. Spacebit is going to prove that it is essential to change the strategy but maintain the aim.
Spacebit is generally meandering through the crisis by modifying its strategies. For instance, to beat the travel ban, smart engineers are testing portable components in their homes. Some engineers are conducting mini-trials in their pilot sites.
Tansyuk says that Spacebit is currently testing the parts of the rover in the home vacuum chamber. He adds that other factors, like the movement of the rover, are under observation.
In conclusion, despite the pandemic, Spacebit is a glimmer of hope for other space firms that can restrategize and learn from their mistakes.
