LIDAX
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, Space technology |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Paracuellos de Jarama , Spain |
Area served | Global |
| Products | Mechanical systems for spaceflight platforms and instruments, space instrumentation, space systems and components, on-ground instruments |
Number of employees | 26 |
| Parent | SUMA Aerospace |
| Website | www |
LIDAX is a company in the space technology sector, established in 2000, that specializes in the development and production of sophisticated mechanical systems for intricate spaceflight platforms and instruments. Its offerings cater to various fields including Earth observation (EarthCARE, Meteosat), planetary missions (Exomars), astrophysical research (James Webb Space Telescope, BepiColombo, Plato, World Space Observatory), and telecommunications. LIDAX manages the entire process from initial concept through design, integration, testing, and final manufacturing for both satellite systems and ground-based instrumentation (OGSE & MGSE).
With a workforce of 26 professionals, approximately 90% are engineers and technicians. The company operates SMARTLAB, a dedicated testing center that allows the assessment of space mechanisms under conditions such as vacuum, cryogenic temperatures, and elevated heat, utilizing advanced optical metrology techniques.
Based in Paracuellos de Jarama, near Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain, LIDAX benefits from its proximity to the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and prominent aerospace organizations like EADS CASA Espacio (a division of Astrium).
Since joining SUMA Aerospace in 2014—a consortium focused on expanding global capabilities in the design, manufacturing, commercialization, and maintenance of electro-mechanical aeronautical equipment—LIDAX has enhanced its international footprint.
Activity Areas
LIDAX’s expertise encompasses:
- Space Instrumentation: Crafting cutting-edge instruments such as cryogenic devices, far-infrared instruments, robotic exploration elements, focal plane assemblies, optical mounts for space telescopes, spectrometers, and actively controlled folding mirrors.
- Space Systems and Components: Manufacturing deployment mechanisms, cryogenic-compatible submicron linear actuators, submicron X-Y positioning stages, M2 hexapods, dry-lubricated gearboxes designed for space applications, hold-down and release systems, along with qualified flexible thermal links.
- On-Ground Instruments: Providing components for scientific instrumentation including telescope equipment—such as atmosphere and telescope simulators utilized in adaptive optics—and structural parts or mechanisms supporting particle accelerator cryomodules.
Main projects
- MIRI telescope simulator (MTS): Development of active folding mirrors as a cryogenic OGSE for the mid-infrared instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescope.
- Initial opto-mechanical design work and feasibility analysis for the RAMAN-LIBS spectrometer on the ExoMars mission.
- Design and fabrication of an Atmosphere and Telescope Simulator employed in adaptive optics research at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias for the Gran Telescopio Canarias, WHT & OGS.
- Creation of the focal plane assembly for the Mercury X-Ray spectrograph instrument (MIXS) on board BepiColombo.
- Preliminary development of a multi-CCD focal plane intended for PLATO.
- Research into methodologies for sub-micrometric measurements within cryogenic environments tailored to infrared instruments.
- Engineering of sub-micrometric actuators and translation mechanisms optimized for cryogenic operation.
- Design and production of a series of space-grade planetary gearboxes aimed at the SatCom industry.
External links
- Official website
- Consolider Ingenio GTC | Instrumentation Projects IScAI 2009
- Spanish involvement in the JEM-EUSO Space Mission
- Consolider Ingenio GTC documentation
- Centro de Astrobiología CSIC-INTA report
- Announcement on PLATO mission approval
- Engineering Magazine article
- Infoespacial coverage on ESA selecting Spanish engineering firm Lidax for space gearbox development