Improvement and development of miniaturised valves actuator assemblies for instrumentation and s/c systems

Small valves are needed in instruments and subsystems handling gas flows.This is of particular importance for low resource and long duration missions (small satellites, long duration interplanetary missions) where leak budgets have an immediate effect on instrument/system mass. Small commercial valves with are already available but reach at this time leakage rates of about 10^-5cc/s He or less. Lower leak rates at lower mass and actuation power are required, maintaining high reliability for instance to meet stringent engineering requirements for currently planned missions This will become even more stringent for long duration missions.