Metalysis, the South Yorkshire-based Metalysis has been awarded nearly €1 million under a European Space Agency (ESA) programme. The funding is for a 2-year project dedicated to Metalysis’s developing a continuous or quasi-continuous sustainable process for titanium production using the patented Metalysis FFC Process.
Titanium and the space industry
ESA is interested in optimising titanium use for several reasons. Making titanium processing greener as well as more cost-efficient is just one part of the issue. Titanium and its alloys are commonly used in space applications due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion-resistance and performance at extreme temperatures. However, supply is unsecured. Russia had been the primary supplier of titanium before the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. China now supplies much of the West’s titanium, but has restricted deliveries.
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Rt Hon. John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough & UK Secretary of State for Defence said: “This is great news for South Yorkshire. Metalysis is a world-leading innovator, and this investment from the European Space Agency is a strong vote of confidence in the cutting-edge advanced manufacturing taking place right here in our region.
Projects like this support high-skilled jobs, drive sustainable growth and strengthen South Yorkshire’s reputation as a growing defence innovation and engineering leader. I look forward to seeing Metalysis continue to scale up and succeed.”
Matthew Cook, Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency, said: “This funding for Metalysis and its partners demonstrates the strength of UK innovation in developing sustainable solutions for critical materials. Titanium is essential for space exploration and satellite manufacturing, and establishing a secure, environmentally responsible supply chain is vital for the long-term competitiveness of our space sector. It’s great to see British expertise leading the way in transforming how we produce the materials that will enable the next generation of space technology.”
Nitesh Shah, CEO Metalysis said: “The near €1 million from ESA to our consortia, led by Metalysis, is further endorsement in our technology and reflects the strategic need across the space, as well as aerospace, defence, hypersonics and wider advanced manufacturing sectors for industrial outputs of critical metals – in this case titanium. Scaling-up our technology to continuous or semi-continuous production will help drive the western supply of sustainable titanium – as the Metalysis FFC process is leaner, greener and cleaner than traditional titanium manufacturing processes”.
Published by James Hydzik
James Hydzik is a technology geek focused on the junction of engineering, writing, and coffee. He joined Orbital Today in 2020 to help make sense of the Johnson government’s decision to buy OneWeb. Since then, he has taken on interviewing and editor-in-chief roles. James learned the ropes of editing and writing with Financial Times magazines, The World Bank, PwC, and Ericsson. Thus far, interviewing New Space movers has put the biggest smile on his workaday face. The son of an Electrical Engineer, James understands the value of putting complex topics into clear language for those with a lay person’s understanding of the subject. James is a European transplant from the United States, and as ex-KA3LLL, he now holds European amateur radio licenses. His next radio project is a portable 10GHz EME (moonbounce) station, as it combines his childhood interests in antennas and space.