- Email: [email protected]
The International Space Station: a tool for European industry
,.
.,,,
.,....
,,..,, .,.,
,..,,.,...,,...... ..,,,.....,,...,, ..,,,..,,.
.............. ............... ........, ...,........... ,.
The International Space Station: a Tool for European Industry European
Space
Agency
The Space Station will become a unique marketplace for new business, new commercial products and new services. Industry has already started to invest its own resources in space-bused reseurch and technology developments. Regular access to the ISSby European industry will uccelerute this process and attract more privute sector financial investments targeting new commercial products and profitable services.
T
ransferring results from Station space research and technology activities to terrestrial applications will open up broad opportunities for creating new high-technology businesses and enterprises. European industry is ready to embrace the Space Station as a means for commercial activities. The interest by European industries such as metal producers, refiners and end users; oil; car manufacturers; energy producers; food; cosmetic; pharmaceutical - in flying experiments on the Space Station as a tool for R&D and industrial applications, is expressed through their participation under their own funding in several of ESA’s existing and planned Microgravity Applications Projects. In the longer term, substantial contributions by industry to ISS-related projects can be expected, provided that ESA’s utilisation preparation effort remains at a steady and reliable level.
ISS Utilisation by non-space industry More and more European industries are becoming actively involved in space-related research areas. The motivation is acquiring information
that cannot be provided by Earthbased research and the attraction of incorporating those results into industrial processes and product development. Synergies with related European Union (EU) programmes are being established to carry out applied and industrially oriented research by parallel and coordinated activities on Earth and in space. Additional funding for related projects on industrial materials and technology, biotechnology, health and environment can be expected from the Framework Programmes of the European Union. Owing to the precompetitive nature of that research, several companies with similar research objectives, from different EU member States, generally work in networks with institutional partners, experienced in applied research with industrial goals. At present, EU funding of industry is about 50% which, together with industry’s contribution, could cover ground-based research work and preparation for space experiments. Based on the evaluation of the proposals in response to ESA’s Announcement of Opportunity additional Microgravity Applications Promotion (MAP) Projects will be selected and new Topical Teams will AIR
& SPACE
be formed for redefinition of future applications projects. The following themes are currently covered: Biotechnology and Biomedicine; Interfaces and Transport Phenomena; Fluid Thermodynamics and Thermophysical Properties; Combustion; Solidification Processes; Crystal Growth; Protein Crystallisation; Fundamental Physics. Table I gives some examples of promising areas for industrial and medical applications and commercial services. In some areas, Europe research and industrial teams are already actively preparing application projects for the ISS. l l
l
l l l l l
ISS Utilisation by the aerospace industry By its very nature, space technology research probes the limits of what is technically feasible. In preparing the ground for future space programmes, it creates new techniques and products which are then adopted for future space missions or which find their way into future commercial applications. In-orbit demonstration is an essential ingredient of the R&D effort: EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4 - 1999
.
,.
it completes the qualification process of new technologies. Because the space environment can be difficult to simulate on Earth - and, in some cases, impossible - many R&D activities can be performed only in space. An orbiting platform is the most effective location for some of these technology experiments. Technology experiments on the International Space Station will benefit the European space programmes and aerospace industries in a number of ways. Technologies developed and tested on the Station, as well as the knowledge gained from the engineering research, will be used to reduce the cost and improve the performance of future ESA and commercial activities in space.
Using the ISSas a testbed for technology Today, there is no permanent in-orbit testbed for technology offering agencies and industry with regular, longterm and affordable access to the space environment. Current opportunities are on the Space Shuttle, Mir and as piggyback payloads on some larger satellites. The ISS will provide this in-orbit technology testbed, offering facilities such as the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) to provide users with low-cost and rapid access to space. Numerous potential technology users for the Station have already been identified, both in support of the Agencies’ programmes and from, industry. In response to ESA’s Early Utilisation Announcement of Opportunity, 48 of the more than 100 proposals came from the technology area. 18 technology proposals have been selected for flight in the initial period. improving performance and reducing costs of other space missions
A wide variety of technology demonstration activities on the Station will yield valuable advantages for future commercial and publicly-funded
spacecraft. Industry is particularly interested in using the facilities because in-orbit testing speeds up the innovation process and the time-tomarket, offering companies a unique advantage for selling their products (‘space-proved’). In-orbit testing improves the market entry chances, for example, with tests of products involving gravity-relevant processes (such as two-phase flow and capillary loops) and new technologies. technology and gaining knowledge for use on Earth Improving
Technology experiments conducted on the ISS will also be applicable to uses on Earth. There are numerous examples in which technologies developed for space systems have been successfully transferred into the non-space industrial sector, For example, new technologies for spacecraft thermal coatings are applicable to more durable paints on Earth. Station activities such as microbiological monitoring sensors, waste management and recycling may have industrial applications. ESA will actively promote the transfer of ISS-developed technologies to the non-space industrial sector.
Technology R&D development areas There are many technical fields in which engineering research or technology development activities aboard the International Space Station will be appropriate. Some examples are described below. Elecfric power
The ISS will be the site of extensive research on the long-term effects of the low-Earth orbit environment on electric power generation systems, components and subsystems, and inspace testing of new electric power technologies, such as advanced photovoltaic power generation systems, and energy storage devices (including batteries, flywheels, and solid-state thermal storage). AIR
& SPACE
Much of this research conducted on the ISS will be relevant to the space commercial market, potentially reducing costs and extending lifetimes. The results of this research can equally well be applied to Earth. Advanced solar cells, batteries and flywheels can help in the development of electricpowered automobiles. Robotics
The Space Station will function as a site for testing and improving the ability of humans and robotic systems to work cooperatively in space. Research will focus primarily on the development of robots functioning as capable, reliable and intelligent agents that respond to higher level commands from humans. Their performances will be verified under space conditions. Much of the technology required for a remotely operated robotic system in space is identical to that required for terrestrial applications. Consequently, there will be good opportunities for applying new robot technology developed in space to terrestrial systems, where they can be used for deep-sea exploration, hazardous waste clean-up and other activities in environments too hazardous for humans. Thermal control
Crucially important for future space applications, the ISS will serve as a site for testing the in-orbit performance of advanced thermal components such as two-phase loops, advanced capillary evaporators, small centrifugal pumps, rotatable thermal joints, controllable radiators and advanced high performance heatpipes. Research on the Space Station into the long-term effects of the space environment on thermal control subsystems will apply only to space systems flying in a similar orbit. However, research in such areas as the lifetime of coolers and the performance of fluid systems in weightlessness will be widely applicable and could enhance the performance, reduce the costs and EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4 - 1999
extend the lives of other spacecraft. This research is expected to lead to the development of new technologies usable on Earth. Life support
The 1% will function as a laboratory in which controlled environmental life support systems can be tested and improved figure 1). The technologies involved include atmosphere revitalisation, water purification and recovery, and biological systems. These experiments can be used to improve the crew’s environment arid to reduce the logistics requirements for consumables, This will allow increasing amounts of these consumables to be recycled instead of being transported from Earth. The need for advanced life support technologies is particularly great for missions beyond Earth orbit, for which resupplying consumables will be extremely costly and in some cases (such as Mars missions) impracticable. Advances made in water treatment and purification systems achieved by experiments on the Space Station can potentially be used in remote and underdeveloped areas of the world. Space environmentand effects
The Station will be used to verify models of the space environment, including space debris and micrometeoroid models (figure 2), and models of the thermal, radiation, atomic oxygen, plasma and ultraviolet environments in low-Earth orbit. Limited tests on the effects of materials exposure to the space environment can be carried out on the ground but their in-orbit validation is required - which can then be used in turn to optimise and improve the ground approach. An important aspect of the space environment is the effect of radiation. Exposing electronic components, sensors and other technologies to the Stations energetic particle radiation environment will address related effects.
Figure 1. The ISS will serve as a testbed (Dot.
Alenia
for life support
technologies
Aerospazio).
A major problem with using advanced electronics in space is expected to arise with energetic protons from the radiation belts, cosmic rays and energetic solar particles. This problem is not only confined to space operations, but is also known to affect electronic systems in high-flying aircraft. This opportunity will allow technologies of interest for operations in these environments to be flight-tested and their behaviour to be compared with expectations from ground-based testing. The measured effects will be correlated with the data from the nearby environment monitors and those from the ground test campaign. Data received from these experiments are also required for evaluating the radiation hazard to the astronauts.
cessing, high-temperature superconductors, optical communications and deployable antenna structures. Communications technology tested on the Station will be used in commercial spacecraft, improving their performance and giving participating companies a competitive edge in a multibillion dollar business. Technologies such as optical communications could also have a significant impact on deep-space communications. Optical high-rate communications networks that optimise power efficiency and minim&e power consumption will be
Communications
The ISS will serve as a testbed for technology issues of importance to commercial communication satellites, including phased array antenna deployment and testing, in-orbit radio frequency environment characterisation for electromagnetic interference, high-data rate communications, complex onboard processors for asynchronous transfer mode signal pro-
Figure 2. The Debris /n-Orbit Evaluator (DEBIE, the detector is shown at bottom left) will monitor the meteoroid and space debris environment of the IS.5
important to power-limited applications, such as underwater networks. Propulsion
The Space Station will serve as a testbed for advanced space propulsion systems, particularly low-thrust systems. These include electric, chemical and hybrid propulsion, and waste gas propulsion systems. These systems can be tested on either a dedicated testbed or on self-contained deployable/retrievable test units. Low-thrust technology developed and tested on the 1% will be widely applicable to
orbital transfer stages and to other spacecraft. Advanced propulsion systems will make it possible to use smaller and cheaper transfer stages, and could greatly improve spacecraft reliability and lifetime. Advanced propulsion systems developed on the ISS will also lower the costs of future I interplanetary missions.
x&e of Manned $md Microgravity &/ I,: :, ETA - Estec PO. Box 299 ~,$: XI AG Noordwjik $ ;lhe Netherlands nf,‘i+31 71 545 54 51 L-+31 71 565 54 41
REFERENCE (I] Document February 1999.
ESA
BR-141
AIR
Appendix,
&
SPACE
EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4
-
1999
.,,,
.,....
,,..,, .,.,
,..,,.,...,,...... ..,,,.....,,...,, ..,,,..,,.
.............. ............... ........, ...,........... ,.
The International Space Station: a Tool for European Industry European
Space
Agency
The Space Station will become a unique marketplace for new business, new commercial products and new services. Industry has already started to invest its own resources in space-bused reseurch and technology developments. Regular access to the ISSby European industry will uccelerute this process and attract more privute sector financial investments targeting new commercial products and profitable services.
T
ransferring results from Station space research and technology activities to terrestrial applications will open up broad opportunities for creating new high-technology businesses and enterprises. European industry is ready to embrace the Space Station as a means for commercial activities. The interest by European industries such as metal producers, refiners and end users; oil; car manufacturers; energy producers; food; cosmetic; pharmaceutical - in flying experiments on the Space Station as a tool for R&D and industrial applications, is expressed through their participation under their own funding in several of ESA’s existing and planned Microgravity Applications Projects. In the longer term, substantial contributions by industry to ISS-related projects can be expected, provided that ESA’s utilisation preparation effort remains at a steady and reliable level.
ISS Utilisation by non-space industry More and more European industries are becoming actively involved in space-related research areas. The motivation is acquiring information
that cannot be provided by Earthbased research and the attraction of incorporating those results into industrial processes and product development. Synergies with related European Union (EU) programmes are being established to carry out applied and industrially oriented research by parallel and coordinated activities on Earth and in space. Additional funding for related projects on industrial materials and technology, biotechnology, health and environment can be expected from the Framework Programmes of the European Union. Owing to the precompetitive nature of that research, several companies with similar research objectives, from different EU member States, generally work in networks with institutional partners, experienced in applied research with industrial goals. At present, EU funding of industry is about 50% which, together with industry’s contribution, could cover ground-based research work and preparation for space experiments. Based on the evaluation of the proposals in response to ESA’s Announcement of Opportunity additional Microgravity Applications Promotion (MAP) Projects will be selected and new Topical Teams will AIR
& SPACE
be formed for redefinition of future applications projects. The following themes are currently covered: Biotechnology and Biomedicine; Interfaces and Transport Phenomena; Fluid Thermodynamics and Thermophysical Properties; Combustion; Solidification Processes; Crystal Growth; Protein Crystallisation; Fundamental Physics. Table I gives some examples of promising areas for industrial and medical applications and commercial services. In some areas, Europe research and industrial teams are already actively preparing application projects for the ISS. l l
l
l l l l l
ISS Utilisation by the aerospace industry By its very nature, space technology research probes the limits of what is technically feasible. In preparing the ground for future space programmes, it creates new techniques and products which are then adopted for future space missions or which find their way into future commercial applications. In-orbit demonstration is an essential ingredient of the R&D effort: EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4 - 1999
.
,.
it completes the qualification process of new technologies. Because the space environment can be difficult to simulate on Earth - and, in some cases, impossible - many R&D activities can be performed only in space. An orbiting platform is the most effective location for some of these technology experiments. Technology experiments on the International Space Station will benefit the European space programmes and aerospace industries in a number of ways. Technologies developed and tested on the Station, as well as the knowledge gained from the engineering research, will be used to reduce the cost and improve the performance of future ESA and commercial activities in space.
Using the ISSas a testbed for technology Today, there is no permanent in-orbit testbed for technology offering agencies and industry with regular, longterm and affordable access to the space environment. Current opportunities are on the Space Shuttle, Mir and as piggyback payloads on some larger satellites. The ISS will provide this in-orbit technology testbed, offering facilities such as the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) to provide users with low-cost and rapid access to space. Numerous potential technology users for the Station have already been identified, both in support of the Agencies’ programmes and from, industry. In response to ESA’s Early Utilisation Announcement of Opportunity, 48 of the more than 100 proposals came from the technology area. 18 technology proposals have been selected for flight in the initial period. improving performance and reducing costs of other space missions
A wide variety of technology demonstration activities on the Station will yield valuable advantages for future commercial and publicly-funded
spacecraft. Industry is particularly interested in using the facilities because in-orbit testing speeds up the innovation process and the time-tomarket, offering companies a unique advantage for selling their products (‘space-proved’). In-orbit testing improves the market entry chances, for example, with tests of products involving gravity-relevant processes (such as two-phase flow and capillary loops) and new technologies. technology and gaining knowledge for use on Earth Improving
Technology experiments conducted on the ISS will also be applicable to uses on Earth. There are numerous examples in which technologies developed for space systems have been successfully transferred into the non-space industrial sector, For example, new technologies for spacecraft thermal coatings are applicable to more durable paints on Earth. Station activities such as microbiological monitoring sensors, waste management and recycling may have industrial applications. ESA will actively promote the transfer of ISS-developed technologies to the non-space industrial sector.
Technology R&D development areas There are many technical fields in which engineering research or technology development activities aboard the International Space Station will be appropriate. Some examples are described below. Elecfric power
The ISS will be the site of extensive research on the long-term effects of the low-Earth orbit environment on electric power generation systems, components and subsystems, and inspace testing of new electric power technologies, such as advanced photovoltaic power generation systems, and energy storage devices (including batteries, flywheels, and solid-state thermal storage). AIR
& SPACE
Much of this research conducted on the ISS will be relevant to the space commercial market, potentially reducing costs and extending lifetimes. The results of this research can equally well be applied to Earth. Advanced solar cells, batteries and flywheels can help in the development of electricpowered automobiles. Robotics
The Space Station will function as a site for testing and improving the ability of humans and robotic systems to work cooperatively in space. Research will focus primarily on the development of robots functioning as capable, reliable and intelligent agents that respond to higher level commands from humans. Their performances will be verified under space conditions. Much of the technology required for a remotely operated robotic system in space is identical to that required for terrestrial applications. Consequently, there will be good opportunities for applying new robot technology developed in space to terrestrial systems, where they can be used for deep-sea exploration, hazardous waste clean-up and other activities in environments too hazardous for humans. Thermal control
Crucially important for future space applications, the ISS will serve as a site for testing the in-orbit performance of advanced thermal components such as two-phase loops, advanced capillary evaporators, small centrifugal pumps, rotatable thermal joints, controllable radiators and advanced high performance heatpipes. Research on the Space Station into the long-term effects of the space environment on thermal control subsystems will apply only to space systems flying in a similar orbit. However, research in such areas as the lifetime of coolers and the performance of fluid systems in weightlessness will be widely applicable and could enhance the performance, reduce the costs and EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4 - 1999
extend the lives of other spacecraft. This research is expected to lead to the development of new technologies usable on Earth. Life support
The 1% will function as a laboratory in which controlled environmental life support systems can be tested and improved figure 1). The technologies involved include atmosphere revitalisation, water purification and recovery, and biological systems. These experiments can be used to improve the crew’s environment arid to reduce the logistics requirements for consumables, This will allow increasing amounts of these consumables to be recycled instead of being transported from Earth. The need for advanced life support technologies is particularly great for missions beyond Earth orbit, for which resupplying consumables will be extremely costly and in some cases (such as Mars missions) impracticable. Advances made in water treatment and purification systems achieved by experiments on the Space Station can potentially be used in remote and underdeveloped areas of the world. Space environmentand effects
The Station will be used to verify models of the space environment, including space debris and micrometeoroid models (figure 2), and models of the thermal, radiation, atomic oxygen, plasma and ultraviolet environments in low-Earth orbit. Limited tests on the effects of materials exposure to the space environment can be carried out on the ground but their in-orbit validation is required - which can then be used in turn to optimise and improve the ground approach. An important aspect of the space environment is the effect of radiation. Exposing electronic components, sensors and other technologies to the Stations energetic particle radiation environment will address related effects.
Figure 1. The ISS will serve as a testbed (Dot.
Alenia
for life support
technologies
Aerospazio).
A major problem with using advanced electronics in space is expected to arise with energetic protons from the radiation belts, cosmic rays and energetic solar particles. This problem is not only confined to space operations, but is also known to affect electronic systems in high-flying aircraft. This opportunity will allow technologies of interest for operations in these environments to be flight-tested and their behaviour to be compared with expectations from ground-based testing. The measured effects will be correlated with the data from the nearby environment monitors and those from the ground test campaign. Data received from these experiments are also required for evaluating the radiation hazard to the astronauts.
cessing, high-temperature superconductors, optical communications and deployable antenna structures. Communications technology tested on the Station will be used in commercial spacecraft, improving their performance and giving participating companies a competitive edge in a multibillion dollar business. Technologies such as optical communications could also have a significant impact on deep-space communications. Optical high-rate communications networks that optimise power efficiency and minim&e power consumption will be
Communications
The ISS will serve as a testbed for technology issues of importance to commercial communication satellites, including phased array antenna deployment and testing, in-orbit radio frequency environment characterisation for electromagnetic interference, high-data rate communications, complex onboard processors for asynchronous transfer mode signal pro-
Figure 2. The Debris /n-Orbit Evaluator (DEBIE, the detector is shown at bottom left) will monitor the meteoroid and space debris environment of the IS.5
important to power-limited applications, such as underwater networks. Propulsion
The Space Station will serve as a testbed for advanced space propulsion systems, particularly low-thrust systems. These include electric, chemical and hybrid propulsion, and waste gas propulsion systems. These systems can be tested on either a dedicated testbed or on self-contained deployable/retrievable test units. Low-thrust technology developed and tested on the 1% will be widely applicable to
orbital transfer stages and to other spacecraft. Advanced propulsion systems will make it possible to use smaller and cheaper transfer stages, and could greatly improve spacecraft reliability and lifetime. Advanced propulsion systems developed on the ISS will also lower the costs of future I interplanetary missions.
x&e of Manned $md Microgravity &/ I,: :, ETA - Estec PO. Box 299 ~,$: XI AG Noordwjik $ ;lhe Netherlands nf,‘i+31 71 545 54 51 L-+31 71 565 54 41
REFERENCE (I] Document February 1999.
ESA
BR-141
AIR
Appendix,
&
SPACE
EUROPE
l
VOL.
I
l
No
4
-
1999