Description
The objective of the activity is to develop and test a coating material (e.g. for substrates such as carbon fibre reinforced polymer, polymers, etc) with improved atomic oxygen and drag resistance to be used on the external satellite surfaces for very low Earth orbit applicationsTargeted Improvements:- Enabling technology not existing today; allowing telecommunication satellites with conventional construction materials in much lower orbits than otherwise possible. - Atomic oxygen corrosion protection improved by 90%- Drag resistance improved by 10% to 40%Description: The telecommunication landscape has evolved to a fast changing and highly dynamicmarket. There is a trend towards flexible system design concepts using smaller satellites in low Earth orbits to improve the link budget and to reduce latency, whilst achieving acceptable system reliability. Even lower orbits (less than 450 km in altitude), knownas very low Earth orbits, offer further link budget and latency advantages and, due to the very low altitude, are inherently "self-cleaning", making it easier to comply with international requirements for spacecraft deorbiting and debris management. Nevertheless,due to the high drag and atomic oxygen environment, today many operators find very low Earth orbits unattractive and it is clear that enabling technology is needed to allow satellites to operate reliably in this environment. The use of nano-hybrid coatings, glassor ceramic coatings deposited over conventional spacecraft materials using atomic layer deposition, chemical vapour deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, is a potential solution. This activity will develop a breadboard model implementing protective coatings on materials used on the external surfaces of telecommunication satellites in a representative geometry (e.g. section of an antenna, appendage, or small structural box). The superior atomic oxygen resistance of the coated materials shall be demonstrated compared to conventional materials. Compatibility of the coated materials with the space environment (vacuum, UV, thermal cycling) shall also be demonstrated.Footnote: On Delegation Request activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at leastone National Delegation.