From Lab To Space: TU Delft-Led Mission To Test Photonic Chip In Orbit

The Netherlands is a leader in both photonic chips and space technology. Now these two worlds meet, as two teams at TU Delft’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering are joining forces. One develops miniature satellites, the other uses advanced photonic chips to search for signs of life. Together, they will bring a photonic sensing system from the lab to a TU Delft-built satellite. A real-life in-orbit demonstration. marks an important step towards technology that could detect signs of life beyond Earth.

The photonic chip at the heart of the Life Marker Chip (LMCOOL) programme will be tested in space for the first time aboard Delfi-Contact, an upcoming TU Delft PocketQube mission. The project is supported by the Netherlands Space Agency (NLSA).

Testing life-detection technology in space
At the centre of the mission is a photonic chip called PRISM (PocketQube Refractive Index Sensing Module). This chip technology forms the core of the Life Marker Chip (LMCOOL), which is being developed to detect molecules that could point to life, such as amino acids in liquids, by measuring tiny changes in the refractive index. Think of it as a keyhole: when the right molecular "key" comes along, the chip can recognise it, helping scientists identify possible signs of life. Dutch photonics company LioniX International will develop the PRISM hardware.

"In space, PRISM will measure how stable the sensor is under real conditions. We will monitor how factors such as temperature changes and radiation affect the system over time." - Dr. Niels Ligterink, Planetary exploration researcher

By recording these effects, researchers can show that the technology works in orbit and better understand how it behaves in the space environment. For LMCOOL, this is a crucial milestone, increasing its technology readiness level (TRL) for future missions to destinations such as icy moons

From cleanroom to orbit
To test the chip in space, it needed a platform. That is where Delfi-Contact, part of TU Delft's Delfi programme, comes in.

"Integrated photonics has made it possible to shrink this type of sensor to a very compact system," says Stefano Speretta, Space Systems Engineering researcher. “That makes a demonstration on a PocketQube possible. And because we develop the platform in-house, we can also adapt it to new payloads more easily. This would be much harder to achieve through external providers.”

The small satellites are designed to provide a straightforward route to space for new technologies: not as their final destination, but as an important step towards future missions. With space and resources at a premium, every component must justify its place. That makes PocketQubes a good match for PRISM, which is also being developed for future missions where size and mass are critical. Based at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, it offers a rare opportunity for the LMCOOL project. The project is carried out by a multidisciplinary team consisting of Niels Ligterink, Stefano Speretta, Şevket Uludag, Vidhya Pallichadath, and Bavo Vlyminckx, who are jointly responsible for the development, integration, and validation of the system.

A first for Dutch photonics in space
“This mission is set to be among the first demonstrations of TriPleX®, a Dutch silicon nitride photonic chip, in space,” says René Heideman, Senior Business Developer at LioniX International. “Together, we are paving the way for future missions in which photonic chips will play a central role.”

This is an important step towards using this technology in both Earth orbit and deep-space exploration. It also positions the Netherlands as a frontrunner in photonics-enabled space instrumentation.

Looking ahead
With Delfi-Contact and PRISM, TU Delft demonstrates how research can move from laboratory concept to space-based validation using in-house expertise and national partnerships. The launch, currently planned for early 2027, will mark the next milestone.

The timeline is ambitious: from the first idea to launch in just ten months. By building, testing and flying new technologies quickly, researchers and students gain valuable experience. It leaves little room for certainty, but real-world experimentation is often the fastest route to better technology.