Descrizione del progetto
Risolvere il dilemma dello stoccaggio orbitale
Nell’immensa distesa dell’orbita terrestre, la prospettiva di attività commerciali sostenibili si scontra con un ostacolo critico: la sfida trascurata dei beni orbitali e dello stoccaggio delle risorse. Le attuali prospettive e tabelle di marcia dei principali attori spaziali mancano di una strategia completa per la gestione delle merci nello spazio, ostacolando la realizzazione di servizi orbitali operativi e l’utilizzo delle risorse in situ. Per colmare questa lacuna, il progetto STARFAB, finanziato dall’UE, si presenta come un’iniziativa innovativa, che cerca di sperimentare un’unità di magazzino orbitale automatizzata che potrebbe rivoluzionare il panorama del futuro commercio spaziale. STARFAB promette di essere il fulcro di modelli di business sostenibili per il servizio, l’assemblaggio e la produzione in orbita, o OSAM, dando forma al futuro del commercio orbitale.
Obiettivo
Implementing sustainable commercial activities in Earth orbit requires not only the key technologies necessary to offer the targeted services (OOS / ISAM) but also the means to effectively ensure the (re)supply of the associated facilities. Storage and handling of goods and resources in orbit, in support of OOS or ISAM, have received limited attention in the perspectives and roadmaps of the major future space ecosystem and economy players.
STARFAB aims to explore a novel concept of an automated orbital Warehouse Unit (WU) within the context of both OOS and ISAM (also known as OSAM) commercial perspectives. It seeks to address a critical gap in the future space ecosystem, serving as an enabler for sustainable OSAM business models.
The STARFAB project will develop a Phase A equivalent concept and demonstrator of an orbital Warehouse Unit (WU), drawing inspiration from the state-of-the-art automated warehousing practices on Earth, while considering the challenging environmental conditions encountered in space, such as microgravity, vacuum, extreme temperatures, and radiation. STARFAB's objective is to advance the necessary technologies for handling goods in space (including modular and custom-shaped components, raw materials for manufacturing, fuel, water, and more), using robotics and automation. This will encompass storage elements with varying levels of protection, the Items Handling Solution (IHS), featuring custom automation tools for operations within the warehouse structure, and the Item Transfer System (ITS), designed as a robotic manipulator to provide flexible external item transfer within the WU. The STARFAB concept will also include provisions for robotic inspection and minor maintenance tasks, primarily for STARFAB's own integrity but possibly also as a service for spacecraft docking or berthing with STARFAB.
At the end, STARFAB will produce a roadmap outlining the path forward for technology maturation, model philosophy, market opportunities, and subsequent exploitation measures
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraft
- social sciencessociologyindustrial relationsautomation
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
1932 Zaventem
Belgio
L’organizzazione si è definita una PMI (piccola e media impresa) al momento della firma dell’accordo di sovvenzione.