Earth to Orbit: Rolatube’s Bistable Rollable Composite Technology in the Space Sector
Rolatube’s bistable rollable composite (BRC) technology has long delivered proven results on the ground – from rapid deployment masts for military communication to lightweight tripods for industrial surveying. Now, our technology is demonstrating its value in orbit.
In collaboration with Frond Space Systems, BRC has successfully powered one of New Zealand’s most ambitious small satellite missions to date.
A New Era of Compact, Deployable Space Structures
Launched on June 23, 2025, the TPA-1 CubeSat mission marks a major milestone for New Zealand’s space capability.
As a 3U nanosatellite, TPA-1 was designed by the University of Auckland’s Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute (TPA-SI) to validate end-to-end mission delivery processes and test technologies that solve common challenges in the small satellite domain – including inspection, imaging, and end-of-life deorbiting.
At the core of this innovation is a 1-metre, restowable deployable boom, constructed with Rolatube’s BRC technology and developed by Frond Space Systems under exclusive licence.
TPA-1 Cubesat travelling over the UK with a Rolatube BRC boom deploying an inspection camera away from the satellite for routine observations. The power and data cables are embedded into the composite boom.
This boom system deploys a stereoscopic inspection camera to allow the satellite to image itself in orbit – a key capability for condition assessment and future autonomous operations. Unlike traditional booms, this multi-cycle deployment and retraction system is compact, low-mass, power efficient and fully restowable.
Power and data cables are embedded into the boom structure itself, eliminating the complexity and risk typically associated with separate umbilical management systems.
TPA-1 satellite from the deployed camera showing the Rolatube boom deployment mechanism.
BRC Technology in the Harshest Environments
The success of TPA-1 is a validation of the use of Rolatube’s bistable rollable composite for deployable structures in the most demanding environments.
From field operations on Earth to satellites in orbit, BRC systems offer a rare combination of lightweight design, compact storage, and rapid deployment and recovery, whilst remaining minimally complex.
These benefits make BRC a powerful enabler across sectors, including defence, emergency response, industrial, and aerospace.
From New Zealand to Orbit
Frond Space Systems, founded in 2023, has now achieved Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL9) with its space deployables. Their range, including booms, dragsails, and solar array systems, is already available commercially, with systems in active orbit today.
Rolatube is proud to see its technology playing a role in this success, and excited to continue exploring new applications from Earth’s surface to the edge of space.