Instruments in space operate on extremely small scales as well as large ones. For instance, adjusting the position or lens arrangement of a camera or sensor may involve movements at micrometer scales. In matters of such precision, the tiny imperfections of even a single ball bearing may throw off readings or degrade capabilities. Magma Space is hoping to change that with a replacement for traditional bearing systems that they say increases precision by an order of magnitude.
Bearings are most commonly found in reaction wheels, devices long used in spacecraft to turn it in along any axis. As founder and CEO Alessandro Stabile explained on the Space Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt: "They are the major cause of jitter that is compromising today's missions — from earth observation, concealing details, to communication, reducing data rates, to being one of the major obstacles for emerging space capabilities like quantum, in space manufacturing, and power beaming. Instability is not just a mechanical issue - jitter pollutes data, adding noise and uncertainty that ultimately breaks trust in autonomy. And that's where we come in."
Magma's alternative to traditional reaction wheels uses magnetic levitation, which Stabile claims has produced 20 times more stable movements and similar gains in accuracy. "This level of stability is critical for the AI layer," he noted, "because you need clean, jitter-free data to perform stuff like health monitoring, adaptive control, and autonomous maneuvers.
The judges asked Stabile to expand on the benefits to AI systems, how the company balances hardware and software, and on ensuring the quality and scalability of the product as they gain customers and partners.
"Magma Space is taking a fresh, thoughtful approach to a decades-old challenge," said Aerospace CTO Debra Emmons after the event. "Their integration of AI and advanced data techniques adds real potential for improving how we understand and operate in the space environment."
You can watch Magma Space's full pitch and judge Q&A here.