Business and Funding Developments
In the past few weeks, I’ve been busy working on securing additional funding to ensure the project’s success. I just completed a business loan application, which is a critical step in securing a government grant. This grant requires us to demonstrate that we have 30% of the project’s costs covered, so securing this loan is essential to avoid dipping into my personal savings.
For the past two months, I have also focused on securing a contract that can provide LorenAero with consistent monthly revenue. I am pleased to announce that we now provide AI character development services for an AAA game studio. This contract ensures a stable revenue stream and allows us to continue our work on Meco with greater financial security.
Team Expansion and Content Development
We are actively expanding our team to enhance the content and tutorials for Meco Rocket Simulator. This past week, I’ve been interviewing candidates for our content team, aiming to bring on board talented individuals who can help us create engaging and educational content for the game.
Community and Collaboration
In my efforts to foster a collaborative environment, I’ve been engaging with university students and aerospace engineers. I had an enlightening conversation with an aerospace engineer who was developing his turbopump for use in a future rocket engine. He is interested in using LorenSim and LorenCAD to help design this engine. This collaboration has sparked new ideas and strategies, particularly regarding the open sourcing of Meco, LorenSim, and LorenCAD.
I am also excited to share that the university students I’ve been working with are from UCL and are participating in the Race 2 Space UK competition. This competition is currently at the stage where teams compete to build liquid propellant rocket engines for test firing at the National Space Propulsion Test Facility in the Westcott Space Cluster. Their involvement brings practical insights and real-world testing scenarios that enrich our development process.
Collaboration with students, researchers, enthusiasts, and aerospace professionals without open sourcing requires a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). You can view the NDA we have prepared here. Creating this NDA took some time, and we realized the importance of having legal support. Therefore, we will consult with a lawyer for future issues, including creating the Open-Source License.
Apprenticeships in Software Engineering and Data Science
I am thrilled to announce that LorenAero is working on providing apprenticeships for careers in Software Engineering and Data Science. Leveraging my extensive experience in these fields, this initiative aims to attract new talent and further leverage my time while contributing to the professional development of aspiring engineers and data scientists.
Looking Ahead
We have several exciting developments in the pipeline and are committed to delivering a high-quality simulation experience. Your support and patience have been invaluable, and we’re eager to share more progress with you soon.
I hope that by spending the effort to set all these up, I can start focusing on completing the C++ port of the gas network solver and complete the UI for the first Early Access release of Meco Rocket Simulator in a few months.
I’ll end with an animation test I made. It focuses on Meco’s goal of inspiring a new generation of rocket scientists and engineers. I hope you enjoy it!
