In the space business since 2001

Umbilical Design was founded in 2001 by industrial designer Cecilia Hertz and has since its inception worked with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) on design for the space industry. Umbilical Design has also been successful in showing how design, technology and material from the space industry can be transferred to Swedish industry and society.

Umbilical Design is one of 16 European companies that the ESA has designated as Space Brokers within ESA Technology Transfer Network (ESA TTN). Umbilical Design’s assignment from the ESA is to oversee the transfer of technology from the space sector to Swedish industry with the overarching objective to stimulate business opportunities by exploiting the materials knowledge, methods and approaches of the space sector.

The term “umbilical” is used in the space sector to describe whatever links one object or system to another, such as the lifeline connecting an astronaut performing an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) with the spacecraft.