Update of ESA Missions and Thermal Technology Developments
Within the last years, a larger number of spacecraft have been launched in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The current trends show that it is continuously increasing, with a growing part for light CubeSats. Most of the LEO spacecraft are dedicated to Earth observation, and they can feature relatively large instrument openings and/or low thermal inertia, especially for the CubeSats. This usually makes...
Thermal analysis of hyperspectral optical instrument with emphasis on electronics heat dissipation
Thermal behavior of any optical instrument requires thorough analysis – either to prevent it from negatively affecting optical properties or to ensure operations safety.
An under development hyperspectral imaging optical instrument (OI) designed to Intuition-1 nanosatellite was subdued...
Satellogic is a company that produce satellite earth observation images. Looking for making Earth Observation imagery accessible and affordable to drive better global decision-making.
The Satellogic satellite earth observation constellation is currently made up for twenty six operative satellites and planned to growth to sixty three satellites in 2023, one hundred thirty nine in 2024 and two...
A space 40 K Reverse Turbo-Brayton (RTB) cooler is currently under development in Europe to enable a variety of cooling needs, including vibration-free cooling of sensitive detectors and improvement of low-temperature cryochains. The performance of an RTB cooler relies on the effective heat exchange in its recuperator. In this context, a novel high-effectiveness mesh-based recuperator concept...
Electrically heated temperature control is a widely used concept in spacecraft thermal control. Currently this technology has two main limitations: the use of many cables when using a large number of heaters, and limitations when reconfiguring the temperature setpoints in-flight. The “Smart Heaters” is an autonomous and self-standing electronic control system that can overcomes the limitations...
The X-IFU instrument, for mission ATHENA, use TES (Transition Edge Sensor) sensors in its focal plane, which require temperatures of tens of milli-Kelvin in operation. Therefore, the focal plane needs an extremely efficient thermal isolation. The complete detector assembly (focal plane, cold electronic, and the close refrigerators for the thermal conditioning in the assembly),
perform such...
Due to increasing payload electronics power consumption, today's spacecrafts often require generally larger payload radiators as the spacecraft body can provide. The use of deployable radiators seems to be the next logical step to achieve the required enlargement of the radiative area. Large deployable radiators based on two-phase heat transportation systems are today available, but these...
As thermal components make an important constituent of the spacecraft, constant development and optimization of such parts is needed. Within the H-PERTS project, HPS-RO focused on developing High Performance Thermal Straps. These parts represent thermal management solution, offering a combination of mechanical decoupling and thermal transfer.
Because the main goal of HPS-RO was to enhance...
The presentation deals with the thermal design of a deployable reflector which is part of a spaceborne SAR payload.
The different sections and components of the payload will be presented and the approaches to deal with the challenges to their thermal design.
The design comprises for instance 3 different composite configurations with different resin systems and manufacturing processes to...
The physical return of samples from Mars has been a top priority of the international planetary science community for over a decade. A wide consensus is held on the fact that a mission which enables the analysis on Earth of samples returned from well-characterized sites on Mars would allow the greatest return for key scientific objectives, such as understanding the evolution of Mars climate...
To dissipate large amount of heat two-phase (2-Φ) mechanical pumping loops (MPLs) are often required. Compared to their passive counterparts, such as heat pipes, 2-Φ MPLs are suitable for high heat dissipation, distributed payloads and can improve the uniformity of surface temperature.
One of the main issues in the implementation of MPL on a CubeSat platform is the difficulty in...
This year, the latest Long Term Support Version of Systema has been issued. The last active one was Systema 4.8.3P3, and it is now replaced by Systema 4.9.2.
The V4.9.2 version of Systema-Thermica has already been released and is available to users since September 2022. This new version provides some enhanced ergonomic features affecting the model creation process, such as choosing between...
The increased use of high-power payload electronics in virtual all classes of spacecraft require generally larger thermal radiators as the spacecraft body can provide. The use of deployable radiators seems to be the next logical step to achieve the required increase in radiative area. Two technologies to design deployable radiators are presently known, which occupy the high and low end of the...
Radian is a thermal analysis software conceived to provide agility to engineers, both at modelling and computing processes. Our software is accessible through a regular web browser and counts on a scalable network of computing resources in the cloud. Thermal analyses are supported by the Databank, a catalogue of satellite components, materials, surface treatments, orbits, and attitude...
Airbus Systema-Thermica is widely used in the European Space sector for thermal design and analysis for years. This presentation provides a brief look into the thermal processes for system level thermal analysis encompassing geometry building, thermo-physical and optical properties definition, TMM generation, and environment definition. In this presentation we address the modelling approaches...
Chemical compatibility between the main components of two-phase heat transfer devices is of critical importance for correct operation and stability throughout the devices’ operational lifetime. The use of incompatible fluid-metal combinations can lead to corrosion and/or the generation of non-condensable gas (NCG), both of which result in reduction in heat transfer performance or complete...
The development of Active Phased Array Antennas (APAAs) is a key enabler to effectively accommodate the growing demand of data transfer in commercial telecommunication satellites. A highly efficient and integrated thermal management system is required so as to reject the waste heat produced by the antenna’s Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs).
The development of such a thermal control system...
ESATAN-TMS provides an advanced thermal modelling environment for the thermal analysis of spacecraft and launch vehicles. The thermal suite is continually being enhanced to meet current and future requirements of space projects, and to support the specific needs of thermal engineers.
A major focus of ESATAN-TMS development this year has been on providing facilities within Workbench to further...
Intuition-1 is the cubesat mission that start is planned for 2023. The 6U satellite is designed to observe Earth by using the self-designed hyperspectral instrument. The gathered data is going to be processed on the low earth orbit by on-board Data Processing Unit (DPU). The data processing is utilizing the neural networks in the space environment as a standard operational mode. This process...
The next generation magnetic spectrometer in space, AMS-100, is designed to be operated for at least ten years at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 [1]. Compared to existing experiments like AMS-02 on the ISS, it will improve the sensitivity for the observation of new phenomena in cosmic rays by at least a factor of 1000.
The magnet design for AMS-100 is based on high temperature superconductor...
The Lunar Gateway is a small, human-tended space station orbiting the Moon that will provide extensive capabilities to support Artemis campaign. Built with the international partnerships of ESA with NASA, CSA and JAXA, Gateway’s capabilities for supporting sustained exploration and research in deep space include docking ports for a variety of visiting spacecraft, space for crew to live and...
The OWL system is a beacon signal transmitter capable of determining the location of the satellite post-deployment in case of a shared launch and communicating that location towards the Ground Station. The major aim of OWL unit development was to create a platform and mission-independent in-orbit tracking equipment that is easy to integrate into every CubeSat and fulfils its major purpose even...
The presentation deals with the thermal design of the SAR Instrument of the ROSE-L Copernicus Mission.
The thermal design of a SAR instrument is very challenging for needing to be in line with a maximum possible heat discharge into space via radiator (often the same as the RF radiator) to keep the high dissipative Front End units in line with the requirements and at the same time, the heater...
YPSAT (Young Professionals' Satellite) is a CubeSat-style project led entirely by young professionals across multiple ESA establishments. It will launch on the maiden flight of the Ariane 6, currently scheduled for April 2023. The goal of the mission is to capture image and video of key phases of the flight, including fairing separation and several CubeSat deployments. It will also capture...
For miniaturized thermal systems or thermal systems with limited energy, the harnesses heat leaks can be the major concern both for flight or test harnesses. In this frame, and based on test results, a methodology has been identified to adopt an appropriated reduced thermal modelling of the harness taking into account both conductive and radiative heat transfers. The actual aim is to provide...
Within the ESA’s Science Program related to the Athena (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics) mission the possibility of applying graphene-based thermal straps for cooling the scientific instrumentation on board the satellite, specifically the Wide Field Imager (WFI), was investigated. Graphene-based thermal straps could potentially replace the current baseline design relying on...
The Airbus Defence and Space Eurostar NEO development program has qualified a new system to cover OSR in order to limit the thermal rejection into space dissipated inside the spacecraft. During critical phase of the satellite lifetime as the Electrical Orbit Raising (EOR) phases or chemical transfer, an important part of the available electrical power is used to heat up the payload units to...
Spacecraft thermal management is a complex endeavour that requires expertise from many different domains and employs several different strategies. Heat pipes are a common device used to move thermal energy from one part of the system to another. Modeling heat pipes can be very complex due to the inherent two-phase nature of the heat transfer. While systems-level models and correlations can be...
We present an analysis of the cost savings and performance benefits delivered by Carbice® Space Pad, a carbon-nanotube-based thermal gasket, for spacecraft builds. We show a 62% net savings in the Integration Assembly & Test (IA&T) and Thermal cost in a typical satellite build, supported by an independent analysis performed by a large space prime. IA&T cost and schedule reductions are measured...
This work aims to provide thermal engineers a set of empirical equations between dust deposition rates and the modification of thermo-optical properties of radiators for lunar surface missions.
For the thermal engineer involved in the design of hardware dedicated to operating on the lunar surface, lunar dust is one of the biggest challenges. The smallest fraction of the sharp-edged small...
The relatively high power density of CubeSats results in large amounts of heat generated that needs to be dissipated to prevent overheating of a satellite’s components. At present, passive thermal control means are used to resolve CubeSats thermal issues, however, as these satellites evolve, advanced active Thermal Control Systems (TCS) will be required. Especially the novel CubeSat propulsion...
As the decommission of the International Space Station approaches, all eyes are set to the Moon as the next scientific hub for space exploration. Under the Artemis program, partners all over the world are developing missions to collect data and prepare the return of humans on the surface.
To support efforts for thermal analysis of lunar space systems, a sizing thermal model of a lunar rover...
A common hardware used by thermal engineers in spaceflight projects are polyimide (Kapton®) and all-polyimide foil electrical resistance heaters. Typical applications range from thermostat-controlled survival heaters, operational heaters, to test heaters (either to simulate internal or external heat dissipation sources, for example radiators).
Same as with any other aerospace hardware, also...
The Mode Selector Mechanism (MSM) is a bi-stable cryo-actuator operated at 4.2 K developed by Centre Spatial de Liège. The MSM development started as part of the far -infrared spectrometer SAFARI on the ESA SPICA space telescope. It takes place now in the preparation and anticipation of next generation cryogenic missions.
The MSM is characterized by its ability to switch an optical part such...
SVOM (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor) mission objective is a thorough monitoring of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) phenomena. Based on a collaboration between France (CNES: French Space Agency) and China (CNSA: China National Space Administration and CAS: Chinese Academy of Science), the SVOM payload includes four scientific instruments (ECLAIRs and MXT provided by CNES,...
The presentation deals with the thermal testing of a deployable reflector which is part
of a spaceborne SAR payload.
The different challenges, solutions and lessons learnt of the QM thermal vacuum test
will be presented.
Due to the design of the deployable reflector, three different cavities – one external
and two different internal sections – needed to be qualified simultaneously. Due...
SVOM (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor) is a mission developed within a Sino-French cooperation context and dedicated to the detection, localization and study of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and other high-energy transient phenomena.
Four scientific instruments (ECLAIRs and MXT provided by CNES: National French Space Agency, GRM and VT provided by CNSA: China National...
The Plato normal front end electronics (N-FEE) unit is an iso-statically mounted structure with high radiative coupling to the telescope cavity. The mechanical mounting consists of thermally isolating Ti6Al4V blades, which result in a high dependency on radiative heat exchange with the telescope to dissipate the heat generated by the PCBs. Previous attempts to correlate the N-FEE thermal model...
JUICE - JUpiter ICy moons Explorer - is the first large-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme. Planned for launch in 2022 and arrival at Jupiter in 2031, it will spend at least three years making detailed observations of the giant gaseous planet Jupiter and three of its largest moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
The JUICE spacecraft will carry the most powerful remote...
E-TEST is an innovation project in the frame of the Einstein Telescope, developed to validate technologies regarding sensitivity at low frequency and contactless cooling of a large suspended cryogenic silicon mirror.
The prototype will be tested in our FOCAL6.5 vacuum chamber, one of the main CSL's environmental test facilities used for space instrumentation.
One of the E-TEST experiment's...
The design of active radiators for the lunar surface is influenced strongly by extreme temperature variations, risks associated with highly abrasive lunar regolith and thermal cases including those with high IR backload from the surface of the Moon as well as the long lunar night.
For hot cases during the lunar day, surface temperatures are higher than the radiator operating temperatures....
pySINAS is a python version of the SINAS tool that was developed by ESA in recent years. This tool is normally used to map temperatures from lumped parameter based thermal analysis results to a finite element model to calculate the structure’s thermo-elastic response. Since the development of the simplified python version of the tool, the number of pySINAS users has grown yet many have found...
Aerobraking manoeuvres make use of upper atmosphere passes to decelerate a spacecraft. While this technique can considerably reduce delta-v requirements and allow for increased S/C dry mass, aerobraking subjects external spacecraft surfaces to intense thermal loads. Detailed analysis of the spacecraft thermal behaviour is therefore critical to ensure effective braking manoeuvres while safely...
