Bailet, Gilles

McInnes, Colin R.

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For more information and collaborations: gilles.bailet@glasgow.ac.ukAbstractThis poster presents an innovative space mission concept called Nèamh that utilizes In-Space AdditiveManufacturing (ISAM) technology for planetary exploration. The proposed mission involves the use ofan onboard space fabricator to print an extremely large solar sail once in space, enabling thespacecraft to travel to Mars or other solar-system bodies. Upon arrival, the space fabricator will recyclethe solar sail into a large aeroshell to perform an aerocapture within the planet's atmosphere. Theaeroshell will then be further recycled into a large high-gain antenna reflector to communicate withEarth, effectively displacing the deep space network communication segment from Earth to theexploration site. This multi-functional concept has the potential to revolutionize space exploration asidentified by [1] enabling efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable spacecraft designs for planetaryexploration.Current programmatic developments in the UK and ESA led to the design of a large-scale Space BasedSolar Power station (SBSP). This structure aiming to reach a footprint of 100 km2 for a length of 5 kmand width of 1.7 km will be fully manufactured and assembled in space.In-Space Additive Manufacturing for Planetary ExplorationID #68G. Bailet and C. R. McInnesJames Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. G12 8QQ. Figure 2: Artistic rendering of the 3 phases of the Nèamh mission concept (top: solar sail, center: aerocapture, bottom: Interplanetary telecommunication relay).[1] McInnes, C.R. (2004) Delivering fast and capable missions to the outer solarsystem, Advances in Space Research, Volume 34, Issue 1, Pages 184-191, ISSN0273-1177, doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2003.02.063.[2] Bailet, G., McInnes, C. (2022) Use of 3d printed technologies to enableAerocapture for large payloads at Mars, International Planetary Probe Workshop2022.[3] Cash, I. (2017) CASSIOPeiA Solar Power Satellite, doi: 10.0/Linux-x86_64.[4] Chaillot, D., et al. (2019), Aerothermodynamics assessment of an entrydescent and landing system for a penetrator mission on mars, InternationalConference on Flight Vehicles, Aerothermodyamics and Reentry Missions&Engineering, Monopoly, Italy.ReferencesAcknowledgmentsThis work is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Chair in Emerging Technologies scheme.ConclusionThe ISM program at the University of Glasgow is aiming to reach 3d printed structures of size ranging from 10 m to 1 km totension substrates (antenna, mirror, solar sail). The use of this technology for planetary exploration represents a realisticand advantageous concept for future large payloads even beyond 20 tonnes range. We believe that even without theconsideration of mass saving, ISM presents a drastic advantage in resilience (in transit inspection and repair) and missionflexibility (reconfigurability during transit and after atmosphere phase). We are hoping to see new mission scenariosunlocked thanks to this new flexible and reconfigurable capability that will already be developed for ultra large Space BasedSolar Power stations.Figure 1: Comparison of CASSIOPeiA and Nèamh solar sail phasebased on an existing figure from [2]Phase 1: Solar sailThe performances of Nèamh’s solar sail will directly impact phase 2 of the mission as an increased performance of the solarsail (shorter transit time) would impose a harsher aerocapture environment with a faster entry speed. For this reason, weare providing a high-performance solar sail only capable to be achieved with in space manufacturing to reach a σ = 5 g/m2(without cargo). This will allow us to deliver a payload of 20 tonnes in little over a year with an 800 m sail disk shaped.Indeed, the most complex part of a traditional solar sail mission or spacecrafts using similar technologies (such as JamesWebb Telescope for its sun shield) is the deployment of the ultra thin foil that will reflect sun light. By fully fabricating thesolar sail in space it is possible to use rolls of films as feedstock and layer them without inducing stresses of folding. Thisprovides us with the insurance that no tears will appear due to packing. In addition, it is possible to inspect and repair thesail before its departure and during transit if required (micro meteorite impacts).Phase 2: AerocaptureFor this phase of the mission, Nèamh must sustain an important thermal and structural loading compared to the solar sailphase of the mission. Few weeks before its arrival in the Martian system, the space fabricator onboard Nèamh will start toupcycle the solar sail component of the system. Instead of an 800 m wide solar sail, the fabricator will produce 24 beamsmade out of PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) bonded to a 1 m wide FTP A6 flexible TPS [4] giving Nèamh a total footprint of200 m2 for 200 m diameter phase 2 configuration. Table 1 presents the main parameters of the resulting aerocapture phase.As the aeroshell will only be used for aerocapture at high altitude and not entry, thus limiting mechanical loads, we arepursuing efforts to demonstrate the viability of the system for harsher environments. In order to increase capabilities, effortsat the University of Glasgow are investigating carbon nanotube doping of PEEK materials for ISM. This would improve itsYoung’s modulus from 100 Mpa to 0.5-1.5 GPa. The main current challenge for this technology is the recycling/upcycling ofthe novel polymer blend.Phase 3: Deep Space networkOne of the drastic advantages of the Nèamh mission concept it’s its ability to not rely on the Deep Space Network to conductits mission and transmit back to Earth its valuable data. With a total diameter of 70 m, it will be possible for X or K-bandantenna as small as 3 m diameter to receive high-quality data from Mars. This will drastically increase the scientific return ofthe mission compared to other mission scenario while not impacting the existing deep space network back on Earth which isalready extensively used by solar system exploration missions but will also be saturated by the demanding Artemis program.Phase 0: System dimensioningUsing the reference case presented in [3], the Nèamh mission concept will be sized to convey 20 tonnes of payload/cargo toMars starting from a low Earth orbit manufacturing to an orbital science phase around Mars. The ISM fabricator developedat the University of Glasgow has the capability to print structural elements in the vacuum of space and produce extremelylong beam in accordance with the proposed substructure of Nèamh (theoretical maximum of 6 km total length for a singlefabricator). In addition, the fabricator has the capability to bond in-situ rolls of materials. We are using those capabilities tofabricate and upcycle Nèamh for each phase of the mission. Figure 2 illustrates the three main phases of the mission withartistic renderings. In addition of the 20 tonnes payload, the space fabricator and all the feedstock will weigh 3.62 tonnes.Periapsys altitude Maxinal dynamic pressureMaximal deflection of the aeroshellPeak surface temperature80 km 1730 N/m2 18 m 750 KTable 1: Mission Profile key parametersFrequency Mars transmitterEarth ground stationTransmitter powerHalf Power Beamwidth Bit rate8.42 GHz (X-band) 70 m 3 m 100 W 0.69 deg 35 kb/sTable 2: Data link budget for the phase 3 of Nèamh mission concept The SBSP station does not represent the technological limitation but what the governments, space agencies, and industriesare gearing up to produce by 2040. Keeping those numbers in mind, we can design a feasible mission profile leveraging SBSPmanufacturing assets to explore the solar system is a novel frugal and efficient way.The following sections will explore the dimensioning of each of the design parameters of each phase of a mission aiming toenhance existing Mars exploration program and more specifically reduce the need for super heavy-lift launchers deep spacenetwork infrastructures.

In-Space Additive Manufacturing for Planetary Exploration

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In-Space Additive Manufacturing for Planetary Exploration

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