KP Labs TOP 10 in 2022

At KP Labs, we constantly strive to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of space exploration thanks to AI and on-board data processing. We are proud to announce our top 10 achievements of 2022, which showcase the hard work and dedication of our team. We strongly encourage readers to take a moment and see how we are involved in shaping the future of the space industry.  

1. New KP Labs Headquarter!

We are thrilled to share that our company recently achieved a significant accomplishmentwith the completion and opening of our new Research and Development Center. This cutting-edge, 2,300-square-meter facility features a variety of labs and production spaces which enable us to take our products from initial design to final testing before they are sent off to customers.  Our new R&D center has been outfitted with a range of amenities, including:

• a thermal-vacuum chamber for simulating space environment conditions   
• a climate chamber for testing in the Earth’s atmosphere   
• a mission planning and control laboratory,    
• a laboratory for satellite communications systems,   
• a machine learning laboratory,   
• research laboratory with an electronics assembly line,   
• EMC (electromagnetic compatibility testing) laboratory,    
• mechanical solutions design laboratory equipped with a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining center to produce thermal management systems in electronic circuits.   

Having our own well-equipped facilities is a huge boost for our team, which will allow us to strengthen our in-house capabilities, as well as open plenty of new opportunities to be part of a larger number of advanced scientific and industrial projects.  

We believe that our new R&D center will bring benefits not only to our company, but also to our customers and partners. With the ability to develop and test our products in state-of-the-art facilities, we can ensure that we deliver solutions that meet the highest standards of quality and reliability and also accelerate the delivery of products to customers.

R&D center & labs

2. We’re Reaching for the Stars: 15 New Space Projects!

The year 2022 was a year of unlimited opportunities for us. We soared to new heights, successfully completing 4 ambitious projects and making progress on 5 others. But our journey doesn’t stop there – we are thrilled to announce that 6 new projects are on the horizon and we are ready to take on the challenge. And the best is yet to come, as in 2023 we will be working on these groundbreaking projects, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and making a meaningful impact in the space industry.  

Read about some of our projects

In 2022, we dedicated ourselves to providing artificial intelligence algorithms for methane detection. These algorithms will be used on the hyperspectral satellite and potentially significantly improve our understanding of methane in the atmosphere.  

But we are not stopping there. In the past year, we have also been working on the QUASAR project, a data processing computer resistant to quantum digital attacks. Currently, our team is focusing on the next phase of the project.  

A project about creating cloud sensing applications is also part of our activities, which we are continuing in 2023. We are also constantly exploring ways to use machine learning to detect errors and create datasets to detect anomalies, which can improve the performance and sustainability of satellite missions.  

In addition, our specialists are involved in lunar projects, including developing data processing computers for the rovers. These computers will be able to analyze and process data in real-time during lunar missions, increasing the return on investment and boosting scientific activity.  

Another project highlight is the collaboration with IBM Research Europe – Zurich. The main objective of our new project is to study and compare technologies suitable for building orbital computing platforms to create space data centers – a set of systems that collect, process, store and transmit data, all in orbit.  

We are also beginning work on a set of AI algorithms to facilitate using artificial intelligence in remote sensing. We will focus on two main use cases: detecting deforestation and forest growth and improving Earth observation products through super-resolution reconstruction.  

Our commitment to expanding our competence in on-orbit data processing, spacecraft management and autonomy is unwavering, and we look forward to the impact of our work on society and the future of space exploration.

Space-based Data Centres

3. Sales Surge in Europe: Exploring Opportunities in New Markets

We are committed to harnessing innovative strategies to expand our sales horizons and reach new customers. This year we have managed to fulfill the goal of extending our Sales to several new European markets. Our Leopard DPU and Lion DPU have already flown to our customers in Switzerland, Luxembourg and Spain!

As you can see, we are constantly working to expand our reach even further. One of the ways we do this is by participating in various trade shows and space-related events, where we can showcase our products and connect with potential customers. Our website provides information on the features and capabilities of our products. If you have any specific questions or needs, our team of experts is always ready to help with customized solutions.

But that’s not all, our products are also available on the Orbital Transports SmallSat Catalog and the satsearch platform, where you can not only read about their capabilities but also delve deeper into the topic through webinars conducted by our experts. These recordings are a great opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of how our products can help you achieve your goals.

Satsearch webinars:

• A guide to advanced data processing and AI for satellite missions
• A guide to mission control for small satellites

Check out two valuable webinars by our specialist Maciej Ziaja for ECSA:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejoi9vK6F3s&t=3936s  
• https://youtu.be/jrVZq2bGXwc?t=895

Leopard DPU & Lion EBB

4. #HYPERVIEW – “Seeing Beyond the Visible” challenge! 

At KP Labs, we believe in the power of collaboration and exploration to drive innovation.That’s why in 2022 we created the “Seeing Beyond the Visible” challenge. This initiative was part of the GENESIS project, which is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and in collaboration with the Silesian University of Technology and QZ Solutions.

The goal of the challenge was to develop a way to extract soil parameters from hyperspectral data, with a view to the upcoming Intuition-1 mission. We were delighted by the incredible response from scientists and researchers from around the world; nearly 160 teams participated in the challenge! The results were announced at the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) 2022, and we are excited to announce that the winning team, EagleEyes, will have the unique opportunity to deploy its algorithm aboard the Intuition-1 mission.  

We could not be happier with the outcome of this challenge, and we are grateful to all the teams that participated. It was truly an amazing opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration between different players in the field of Earth Observation.

Challenge winner

5. Intuition-1 – the payloads are ready for launch!

The manufacturing process for the flight models instrument, the hyperspectral data processing computer (Leopard DPU), along with its accompanying software suite – encompassing everything from the operating system to deep neural networks for autonomous data analysis – has been completed.  

Intuition’s components are currently awaiting integration with the AAC Clyde Space satellite platform, which is scheduled to fly into low Earth orbit in 2023!

Intuition-1 model

6. Antelope is coming to life!

In 2022, we successfully produced a series of the first Antelope prototypes, confirming the correctness of the design and enabling the launch of the operating system and a basic set of tests. We demonstrated the correctness of the interfaces through which Antelope can communicate with other components of the satellite, and measured power consumption in various modes of operation. Our team is now looking forward to completing the next generation, which will reach orbit soon.

We are excited to announce that in 2023 our computer will have an in-orbit demonstration, which will provide us with an important flight heritage. Flight heritage refers to the experience and knowledge gained from a product or technology flying into space. This is an important milestone because it helps demonstrate a product’s reliability and readiness for use in a real space environment, which can help increase customer confidence and increase a product’s chances of being selected for future missions.

Antelope DPU

7. Space events 2022! 

Our company was kept busy and engaged with a range of space-related events, which we used to promote our products and services, as well as to stay up to date with the latest industry advances. These events provided us with a platform to form relationships with other businesses and explore potential collaborations.  

We had our own booth at trade shows in:

• Space Tech Expo USA – Long Beach, California, USA, – May 24-25
• International Astronautical Congress (IAC) – Paris, France,  – September 18-22 
• Space Tech Expo Europe – Bremen, Germany, – November 15-17.

We also participated in events such as:

• Making business in space –– Warsaw, Poland, – May 19
• Living Planet Symposium – Bonn, Germany, – May 23-27
• GSTP Industry Working Days – Vienna, Austria, – June 22-24 
• International Symposium on Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing (IGARSS) – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, – July 17-22
• International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Robotics (ICRASR) – Dubai, United Arab Emirates, – July 28-29
• European Rover Challenge –– Kielce, Poland, – September 9-11
• Industry Space Days (ISD) – Noordwijk, Netherlands, – September 28-29
• THERMINIC –– Dublin, Ireland, – September 28-30
• 8th International Workshop on OnBoard Payload Data Compression(OBPDC2022) – Athens, Greece, – September 28-30
• IEEE International Conference on Image Processing – Bordeaux, France, – October 16-19
• European Space Thermal Engineering Workshop 2022 –– Amsterdam, Netherlands,– October 18-20
• Made for Space – Coventry, England, – November 22-23.

We are looking forward to participating in more events in the future and invite you to meet us again in 2023. We would be delighted to discuss our products and services with you further, and explore opportunities for cooperation. Thank you for your interest in KP Labs and we hope to see you soon!

Discussion panel at Bremen Space Tech Expo 2022 and USA Space Tech Expo booth

8. Two of KP Labs employees are among world’s most cited scientists

We are delighted to congratulate PhD, DSc Jakub Nalepa and PhD, DSc Michal Kawulok on their outstanding accomplishment of being recognized among the best 2% of scientists in the world for the citation rate of their published works. This is a remarkable feat and speaks volumes about the caliber of their research.

Citation rate is a metric used to measure the impact of a scientific publication, and for Nalepa and Kawulok to have maintained such high citation rates is a clear indication that their work is being widely recognized and valued by other scientists in the field.

This expansion of our scientific database demonstrates our commitment to furthering our research and development, as well as our dedication to the scientific community. We are thrilled that our efforts have resulted in 17 new articles being added to the database this year.  

We encourage those interested in our work to check out our publications, which are available on our company website or through scientific databases.

The entire list can be viewed on our website:

https://kplabs.space/space-ai-publications/

PhD, DSc Jakub Nalepa and PhD, DSc Michal Kawulok

9. Jakub Nalepa among elite IEEE Senior Members

Jakub Nalepa has been elevated to the prestigious status of IEEE Senior Member.  

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a professional organization that serves as the leading voice for technology and innovation, with more than 420,000 members in over 160 countries.  

Senior Member status is awarded to experienced professional engineers who have demonstrated exceptional expertise in a particular field.  The fact that Jakub Nalepa was included in this group is a testament to his leadership, dedication and commitment to the IEEE, which focuses on promoting technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.

10. KP Labs continues to grow, with 18 new employees joining our space team.

As a company dedicated to innovation and excellence in space technology, we rely on a dedicated team of innovators and experts to propel us forward. Our newest team membersbring fresh ideas and insights, along with the skills and expertise that will help us continue to push the envelope in the industry.

KP Labs team

“Based on our path to success, advanced facilities and talented team, we are well-positioned to continue pushing the boundaries of space exploration. We are able to create reliable, high-quality solutions and develop a more sustainable and efficient future for space exploration.

We deeply appreciate of our customers and partners for their unparalleled cooperation and support. The year of 2022 has been a remarkable success, and we are proud to have achieved it together.

As we look toward 2023, we are enthusiastic about the possibilities that await. Drawing on the knowledge and progress garnered from our initiatives, we are sure of our capacity to provide dependable, high-quality services to our customers and associates” – said Michał Zachara COO.

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