Rob Spurrett MBE FREng

Founder and Director of Cherry Space Ltd, and Co-founder of Lacuna Space (formerly Lacuna Networks Ltd)

Rob Spurrett is a serial intreprenuer/entrepreneur, having used his engineering skills to build a set of electronic space-hardware businesses. In the 1980s, he built the then UKAEA Infrared calibration business, supplying temperature references to early generation meteorology satellites. He then pioneered the use of Li-ion batteries in space: Rosetta, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) comet spacecraft, and almost 100 other missions depend upon his batteries.

Heading the European arm of Canadian Space company COM DEV, he enhanced both its technical base in active waveguide microwave components, and restored it to financial health. Rob Spurrett is now developing a low-bandwidth cubesat network to collect data from isolated Internet of Things devices – attracting both venture capital and ESA funding.