Descrizione del progetto
Veicoli spaziali riutilizzabili per la ricerca scientifica nello spazio e applicazioni commerciali a prezzi accessibili
Un modo per rendere più accessibile (e conveniente) lo sfruttamento dello spazio è costruire veicoli spaziali che possano essere riutilizzati. Il progetto EARS, finanziato dall’UE, progetterà un veicolo spaziale riutilizzabile a basso costo. Nello specifico, il veicolo spaziale sarà concepito per essere lanciato nell’orbita terrestre bassa a supporto di una serie di piccoli esperimenti e produzioni in condizioni di microgravità per periodi orbitali superiori a un anno. Al termine della missione, tornerà autonomamente sulla Terra per essere riutilizzato con una ristrutturazione minima. Il veicolo spaziale sarà in grado di riposizionarsi e di effettuare un rientro controllato. Dopo il rientro, verrà dispiegato un paracadute orientabile per decelerare il veicolo spaziale e garantire un atterraggio morbido in un sito di atterraggio designato.
Obiettivo
This program proposes to design and build a low-cost spacecraft capable of supporting a variety of small experiments for orbital periods potentially longer than a year. The vehicle is to be designed to operate and return to Earth autonomously, to be reusable with minimal refurbishment, and to be compatible with common launch vehicles secondary payload attachments. The spacecraft is based on a current microsatellite platform with the addition of a heat shield, a powerful propulsion system and a recover system. The spacecraft is launched in LEO and perform its mission, which can be IOD/IOV, microgravity scientific experiments, or commercial activities like microgravity manufacturing. Thanks to its own propulsion system the spacecraft can re-position itself and perform a controlled reentry. After reentry and when the vehicle slows to the designated Mach number, a drogue parachute will be deployed which will decelerate the vehicle to a condition permitting deployment of the steerable gliding parachute. Terminal descent on the main parachute is controlled so that the vehicle soft-lands at a designated landing site. The reusability feature has four main advantages:
- Recover of the payload for usage/inspection/analysis
- Possibility to reuse the satellite for different missions
- Possibility to abort a mission without loss of the payload
- Limited pollution, debris mitigation both on ground and in orbit
This platform follows the call indications as it deals with re-entry technologies, green propulsion, advanced GNC. Marketing surveys have indicated that there is considerable user interest for such a platform.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraft
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technology
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesremanufacturing
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
00185 Roma
Italia