Across more than 2,000 installations in retail environments, we’ve never recorded a successful angle grinder breach of a Trellidor shutter…

They did it!

NASA’s Artemis II crew have successfully completed their historic fly-by of the far side of the Moon.

The four astronauts travelled further from Earth than any human has before. A full 252,756 miles to be precise.

Given how far technology has come over the past 50 years, it’s incredible to think that this is the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that humans have left Earth’s orbit.

I caught some of the coverage on TV, and the moment just before the spacecraft slipped behind the Moon and lost radio communication with Earth was quite extraordinary.

“The lengths some people will go for a bit of peace and quiet!” Mandy quipped as we watched the live stream unfold.

In a world of constant pings and notifications, there are certainly times when the prospect of disappearing behind the far side of the Moon has its appeal! Although I’m sure for the astronauts’ families and the teams on the ground, those were the longest and most nerve-wracking 40 minutes imaginable.

What fascinates me most about missions like Artemis II isn’t just the ambition; it’s the engineering and precision involved. Every component of the Orion spacecraft has been engineered to endure extremes most of us can barely comprehend…

Ahead of its splash down on Friday, the Orion will hurtle back toward Earth at roughly 24,600 mph (that’s about 7,600 mph faster than a return from the International Space Station). And if that wasn’t enough of a test in endurance, the heat shield is expected to face temperatures of around 2,760°C.

So it goes without saying that nothing is left to chance. Materials are tested relentlessly and systems are pushed to the absolute limit and beyond. When even the smallest and most seemingly insignificant flaw can have catastrophic consequences, “good enough” simply doesn’t exist.

Having followed the mission over the past 10 days, I can’t help but draw a parallel a little closer to home. Because whilst Trellidor may not be sending rockets to the Moon (never say never!), the underlying principle feels very familiar.

We design products that people rely on when it matters most. And like any system built for extreme conditions, our shutters and security grilles have to perform flawlessly under pressure. Not in the vacuum of space, admittedly, but in the very real and increasingly aggressive environment of modern crime.

The threats may be different, but they are no less demanding. Today’s thieves are organised, well-equipped, and often brazen.

We’re seeing a growing trend of criminals using angle grinders to breach retail shutters in a matter of seconds, before making rapid getaways on motorbikes. Just recently, three men broke into a shopping centre in Stevenage, cutting through a jewellery store’s shutters with an angle grinder before escaping with stolen goods.

It’s fast, it’s targeted, and it’s a stark reminder that security solutions must evolve just as quickly as the threats they are designed to resist.

That’s why our approach to engineering is uncompromising. During the LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) testing process our products are subjected to what can only be described as brutal, sustained attacks. Sledgehammers, crowbars, drills, angle grinders… You name it, our shutters have probably had it taken to them.

The aim is simple: to replicate real-world scenarios as closely as possible and ensure our systems don’t just withstand them, but actively deter and defeat them. It’s not unlike aerospace testing in principle; push the limits, identify weaknesses, and refine until failure is no longer an option.

And the results speak for themselves. Across more than 2,000 installations in retail environments, we’ve never recorded a successful angle grinder breach of a Trellidor shutter. Forgive me, but I think that’s a statistic worth shouting about.

Which is why I can’t help but think that if NASA are ever casting around for ideas ahead of Artemis III, we might just have something to contribute…

Who knows, maybe our lunar ambitions are still on track after all!