Speaker
Description
MICE (Mechanical Interface for Capturing at End-of-Life) is a single-part passive grapple fixture designed for enabling the capture and de-orbiting of satellites at their End-of-Life or in a premature malfunction by a Servicing Spacecraft in case the satellites cannot deorbit by themselves.
The latest version of MICE was the Qualification Model (MICE-Q) developed and qualified in 2023 for the Copernicus Sentinel Expansions missions. Due to the nature of these big satellites and the associated mission constraints, MICE-Q is made of stainless steel 15-5PH H1025 for surviving the high structural and thermal loads and the long lifetime missions.
In April 2024, a feasibility study to design a MICE version for small satellites started by the consortium composed by GMV and AVS, with the main goal of reducing the mass respect previous MICE-Q design, but keeping the main geometrical features in order to enable the compatibility with the existing active interface.
A trade-off analysis has been performed with four geometry alternatives and each geometry analysed with three candidate materials: 15-5PH H1025, Al7075 T73 and Ti6Al4V. The criteria for choosing a baseline design have been : Manufacturability, Compatibility to active side, Thermo-structural performance, Demisability, Capture functionality, and Electrical continuity.
As a result of the trade-off, a baseline design made of Ti6Al4V has been chosen, with a total mass of 0.304 kg, an overall mass reduction of 0.417 kg compared with MICEQ mass of 0.721 kg.
The proposed design for MICE-LITE optimises the interface geometry and material while keeping all driving characteristics of the original MICE-Q and requiring minor modifications on the active capture mechanism. The significant reduction in mass will place MICE-LITE in a position to potentially equip a much larger number of satellites that could then be eventually captured and deorbited at their End of Life.
