Description
The objective of the activity is to develop and test a breadboard of an electrophoretic panel enabling adaptive thermal control on telecommunication spacecraft. Targeted Improvements:-Enabling technology to allow adaptive control of radiative surfaces.-Reduction in heater power of 40% and in radiator size of 30%. Description: Traditional thermal design balances emissivity and absorption parameters based on surface materials and/or coatings selection. This balancing creates a system-level design that is optimised for steady state conditions and does not perform well in transient conditions. This applies for GEO and even more for dynamic LEO applications. Electrophoretic technology applied in radiative surfaces would enable a new design strategy that adapts for transient conditions yet meets optimal steady state requirements by allowing the user to tailor the radiator parameters based on real time satellite needs. Further, as highlighted by the conflict between Starlink and the astronomy community, LEO satellites could be adapted to minimise their visible impact on the night sky. Electrophoretic displays are well established for terrestrial applications and have be endeveloped and used in a variety of applications ranging from signage to e-readers and, most recently, as an adaptive coating on cars. An electrophoretic display is comprised of micro encapsulated cells of charged titanium dioxide and carbon particles. The composition of white/black particles on the visible surface can be controlled by the relative charge put through the cell. When applied in space, this technology would allow tailoring of the absorption and emissivity of the radiator in response to the real time irradiance conditions. This activity will review the state of the art of electrophoretic displays, assess limitations/constraints that the space environment imposes, and measure/calculate the range of absorptivity and emissivity values possible. A breadboard of an electrophoretic display for thermal control of satellites will be developed and tested. The surface/material choice to optimise radiative properties will be investigated and tested. The range of values for absorption shall be from 0.2 to 0.98 while emissivity shall be between approximately 0.8 and 0.9.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_En…