There is a need within the space sector of medium to high resolutions rotatory position sensors suitable for low cost, space qualified and off-the-shelf solutions. The developed sensor could be used for SADM, optical pointing mechanisms, antennas drive mechanism among others.

We have continued our shock physics code calculation studies of DART-like impact events. This includes comparisons of iSALE and SPH code calculations, using a range of strength and structural properties. The effect of porosity was studied in detail by applying different crushcurves, representing materials with varying crushing strength. The crushcurve was found to have a large influence on the outcome, in particular the ejecta properties and momentum transfer.

Humankind tested its capacity to survive on the Moon’s surface for short periods of time through the Apollo missions almost 50 years ago. Since then, robotic missions to the Moon have spent periods lasting several days and nights on the satellite. However, many technological challenges arise when planning a lunar (robotic and/or manned) mission that is fully operational during the night. Among these challenges, the need for a power supply system for both day and night remains open.

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The outcome of the activity was a conceptual design that has been assessed feasible and can be implemented in a follow-up activity.

The project aimed to establish a structured approach to an optimised part or component by applying Concurrent Design methods. It intended to incorporate all necessary disciplines and competencies that are required for a potential spacecraft part. Within the activity, advanced manufacturing included various novel techniques, not only additive manufacturing. It means that the Concurrent Design approach was developed for the engineering of units to be built with a broad range of advanced manufacturing technologies.

Background and justification:

The main tasks of this activity are the following: 1) Metrological assessment and gap analysis of existing thermal imaging methodology, data processing and uncertainty assessment, related but not limited to aerospace applications.

A major challenge in the field of control is to achieve reliable, aggressive, high-speed control of autonomous vehicles. In space, this may involve spacecraft that need to land under harsh conditions, or even – in an extreme scenario – negotiating asteroid debris fields at high speeds. On Earth, the exemplar task that draws most attention currently is high-speed autonomous flight of drones. The application of optimal control on board limited platforms has been severely hindered by the large computational requirements of current state-of-the-art implementations.