A Harpenden-based company which provides space electronics has won an award for a product invented by the company’s founder.

Spacechips, which was founded in 2014 by rocket scientist Dr Rajan Bedi, provides design consultancy services to manufacturers of satellites and spacecraft around the world.

Dr Bedi’s own invention, a satellite transponder, won high-reliability product of the year’ at the Elektra Awards, and since its launch in September 2014 the company has won several other awards for business and innovation. In December, the government gave Spacechips an award to start exporting its products and services into Asia.

Spacechips also offers global training for manufacturers of satellites, and Dr Bedi has travelled around the world teaching courses in Tel Aviv, Toulouse, Munich and Oxford. In 2017 he will be travelling to the USA and Asia, and he has taught courses to the European Space Agency and NASA.

Dr Bedi said: “We are very pleased with the award. I always wanted to have my own company so two years ago I decided to form Spacechips.

“I am very well known in the space industry. I have a blog called ‘Out of this World Design’ which gets read all around the world. It’s talking about a very specialist, niche topic.”

The company is operated out of Dr Bedi’s home opposite Aldwickbury golf course. As well as teaching and invention, the company also helps clients understand what types of components will be needed in the future, and why, where and how they will be used.

Dr Bedi said: “We are a very small company but we operate and trade around the world. We are very optimistic for the outlook for 2017 to 2018.”