Wrocław University of Science and Technology selects Creotech Instruments as subcontractor for new ESA project

On 19 May 2022, the Wrocław University of Science and Technology selected Creotech Instruments, a leading Polish manufacturer of satellite systems and components, as its subcontractor and partner for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) “MEMS Based Mass Spectrometry” project under the ESA EXPRO+ program. The project involves designing a mass spectrometer for future ESA space probes to identify, among others, organic substances present on objects such as Mars, Venus and the Moon. The spectrometer will offer unparalleled miniaturization and high sensitivity compared to existing solutions. In this project, Creotech Instruments will be responsible for developing and producing the control and reading hardware and software of the spectrometer system and the system’s environmental testing. With a total budget of EUR 449,172 net, the project is scheduled for delivery within 15 months.

“This news is a source of great satisfaction and pride and another expression of recognition for Creotech Instruments’ engineers. Yesterday, the Wrocław University of Technology notified us that they chose Creotech Instruments as a subcontractor in the “MEMS Based Mass Spectrometry” project commissioned by the European Space Agency. I am glad that Polish specialists in the field of space technologies have again been recognized, particularly by the European Space Agency, which is very particular about choosing its partners. The latest project aims to design a mass spectrometer for future ESA space missions and thus identify gas mixtures and organic substances present on space objects studied by space probes. Our company’s participation in this undertaking involves expanding our existing partnership with ESA. The proper implementation of the project’s first phase may boost our chances of participation in the project’s future phases, including potentially manufacturing the device for space missions, e.g. on Mars, Venus or the Moon. The spectrometer will offer unprecedented miniaturization and high sensitivity. These features will certainly have a bearing on the outcome of the project and the quality of individual processes,” says Grzegorz Brona, President of the Management Board of Creotech Instruments S.A. “In working on the “MEMS Based Mass Spectrometry” project, we will closely cooperate with the Wrocław University of Technology, the project leader, which chose us as its strategic partner,” adds Grzegorz Brona.

As part of the “MEMS Based Mass Spectrometry” project, Creotech Instruments will be tasked with developing and manufacturing the control and reading hardware and software of the spectrometer system and the system’s environmental testing.

With a total budget of EUR 449,172 net, the project is scheduled for delivery within 15 months.

 “The project will be completed at technology readiness level (TRL) 4, but we expect that it will be continued as part of further orders,” comments Grzegorz Brona. “I hope that this undertaking will strengthen our position internationally in the long term and substantially improve our financial performance,”  he adds.

Recently, the company summarized its Q1 2022 results. The company almost doubled its net profit YoY in the reporting period, generating PLN 0.57m. from January to March 2022. In the last quarter, Creotech also posted a 24% YoY growth in EBITDA, which amounted to almost PLN 1.5m. Total revenues over the same period stood at PLN 9.4m, and remained relatively stable compared with the corresponding period of the previous year (PLN 9.8m).

The company is able to consistently improve profits mainly through its effective management of key business areas, the space and quantum computing segments. As part of the first segment, in April 2022 Creotech Instruments completed the 1st phase of the strategic PIAST project for the Polish army aiming to place three observation satellites based on the proprietary HyperSat platform in orbit around the Earth in 2024. HyperSat’s first test will be the launch of EagleEye, Poland’s first Polish observation microsatellite, scheduled for late 2023/early 2024. The company’s further development in the quantum segment will also be driven by its involvement in a strategic project seeking to develop the European Union’s first large quantum computer. This May, the European Commission invited an international consortium, comprising Creotech Instruments and other entities, to conclude a framework agreement to build such a computer.