DESIGN MARGIN OPTIMISATION FOR MECHANISMS ON BOARD TELECOMMUNICATION SPACECRAFTS (ARTES AT 4E.059) RE-ISSUE

Description

 

Objective:

The objective is to extend the operational range of known mechanisms with flight heritage.

Targeted Improvements:

The activity will define the type of requirements at mechanism level (mechanical, thermal, lifetime, motorisation margins, etc.) and at system level (mechanical, thermal, lifetime) that could be waived under certain conditions in relation with operators’ specifications. This would improve the performance of a mechanism and extend its application range in satcoms.

Description:

The difficulties to understand the failures mechanics of space mechanisms lead to systematically oversize the functional architecture since these devices are usually single point failure. The development risks and recurring cost resulting from the objective of achieving compliance to these margins hampers the competitiveness of new products, thereby limiting the competition faced by incumbent technologies.

Within telecommunication spacecraft business, often, the combination of price, mass and volume constraints in combination with ECSS margins leads to a non-compatible mechanism design: either too big and/or too heavy and too costly, or with too low margins. Telecommunication spacecraft often use flight proven mechanisms from the US, but in many cases these US based mechanisms do not comply to the ECSS margins, especially at actuator level. This creates an unfair disadvantage to European mechanism manufacturers. Effectively, US mechanisms with flight heritage are allowed lower margins. This activity aims at margin optimisation of flight proven European mechanisms, which would create a larger application range for these mechanisms, and thereby improve competitiveness.

Justification:

The identification of a process to optimize the functional design of flight-proven mechanisms used on telecommunication satellites would give European products a guideline towards increased market share.

Work logic:

Identify a flight proven recurring mechanism qualified for telecom mission with applicable and quantified functional margins.

Based on the existing design (FMECA,...), the final customer requirements (operators) and the bidders knowledge of the product, generate a design with reduced functional margins (typically 1.1).

Manufacture an EM.

Perform a test campaign in representative conditions and document the results.

Compare EM test results with the available reference data from the existing flight design, quantify the improvement in performance, mass, volume, and in cost.

Identification of candidate mechanism(s) for further development

Generate a guideline for optimising mechanism designs for public reference.

 

 

Tender Specifics