Former Cookstown High School rocket scientist wins award

Dr Rajan Bedi, who is chief executive officer and founder of Spacechips, said his company has worked very hard to establish itself in an international market.

Spacechips designs the electronics used on board satellites and spacecraft to address societal challenges such as digital divide, climate change, food sustainability, disaster management, telemedicine, smart cities and Covid-19. The company has delivered more than 200 orders to 70 customers in 25 countries across 18 time zones. Rajan is a former pupil of Cookstown Primary and High School.

He is the author of Out-of-this-World Design, the award-winning blog on Space Electronics, which has been viewed over three million times.

He said: “Today we live in a satellite-enabled age, the spacecraft orbiting overhead are not science fiction, but part of a critical, life-support system which we depend on every day.

“Satellites collect vast amounts of data giving us a detailed understanding of what is happening in our world. They deliver awe-inspiring imagery in high resolution, broadband global communication, increased positional accuracy and observe the fragile eco-systems of our beautiful planet. Constellations of satellites are being developed to provide global internet. Earth-Observation satellites are being used to remotely photograph fields and measure the productivity and health of plant.”