Post by account_disabled on Feb 28, 2024 2:38:24 GMT -6
New D printing technology makes satellite antennas in outer space.
Japanese technology company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed an in-orbit additive manufacturing technology that uses photosensitive resin and ultraviolet sunlight to D print satellite antennas in the vacuum of outer space.
The novel D printing technology makes use of a newly developed liquid resin that was custom formulated for stability in a vacuum. The resin allows structures to be manufactured in space using a low-power process that uses the sun's ultraviolet rays for photopolymerization.
Using new D printing technology, Mitsubishi hopes that in the future it will be possible to print satellite antennas after satellites have been launched into space. In-orbit manufacturing and deplo C Level Executive List yment of a satellite antenna in space could significantly reduce the weight and costs of satellite launches by eliminating the need to transport cumbersome parts that take up a lot of rocket space into orbit.
Mitsubishi has so far only tested the new D printing technology in simulated space conditions in a test chamber. The researchers printed a -inch-wide antenna dish that performed as well as a conventional satellite antenna in tests. If there are plans to test the D printer in space and when it could happen, there is no information on this so far.
Resin-based in-orbit manufacturing is expected to enable thinner and lighter spacecraft structures than conventional designs, which must survive the stresses of launch and insertion into orbit. The technology specifically addresses the challenge of equipping small, inexpensive spacecraft buses with large structures, such as high-gain antenna reflectors, and enables in-orbit manufacturing of structures that far exceed the dimensions of launch vehicle fairings.
Mitsubishi Electric's resin-based in-orbit manufacturing enables small satellites to reach the capabilities of large satellites, reducing launch costs and allowing satellite technology to be used more than ever in applications such as communication and satellite observation. the earth.
The photosensitive resin is also heat resistant and can survive temperatures of at least °C, which exceeds the maximum temperature experienced in orbit.
“Spacecraft antenna designs are challenging due to their conflicting requirements for high gain, wide bandwidth, and low weight,” the company said in the statement. “High gain and wide bandwidth necessarily require a large aperture, but economical orbital deployment conventionally dictates that designs be light and small enough to fit or fold inside a launch vehicle or satellite deployment mechanism.” .
Mitsubishi also claims that by developing a D printer that extrudes a custom ultraviolet-curable resin formulated for vacuum, “free-form additive manufacturing in space has now become possible.”
Japanese technology company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed an in-orbit additive manufacturing technology that uses photosensitive resin and ultraviolet sunlight to D print satellite antennas in the vacuum of outer space.
The novel D printing technology makes use of a newly developed liquid resin that was custom formulated for stability in a vacuum. The resin allows structures to be manufactured in space using a low-power process that uses the sun's ultraviolet rays for photopolymerization.
Using new D printing technology, Mitsubishi hopes that in the future it will be possible to print satellite antennas after satellites have been launched into space. In-orbit manufacturing and deplo C Level Executive List yment of a satellite antenna in space could significantly reduce the weight and costs of satellite launches by eliminating the need to transport cumbersome parts that take up a lot of rocket space into orbit.
Mitsubishi has so far only tested the new D printing technology in simulated space conditions in a test chamber. The researchers printed a -inch-wide antenna dish that performed as well as a conventional satellite antenna in tests. If there are plans to test the D printer in space and when it could happen, there is no information on this so far.
Resin-based in-orbit manufacturing is expected to enable thinner and lighter spacecraft structures than conventional designs, which must survive the stresses of launch and insertion into orbit. The technology specifically addresses the challenge of equipping small, inexpensive spacecraft buses with large structures, such as high-gain antenna reflectors, and enables in-orbit manufacturing of structures that far exceed the dimensions of launch vehicle fairings.
Mitsubishi Electric's resin-based in-orbit manufacturing enables small satellites to reach the capabilities of large satellites, reducing launch costs and allowing satellite technology to be used more than ever in applications such as communication and satellite observation. the earth.
The photosensitive resin is also heat resistant and can survive temperatures of at least °C, which exceeds the maximum temperature experienced in orbit.
“Spacecraft antenna designs are challenging due to their conflicting requirements for high gain, wide bandwidth, and low weight,” the company said in the statement. “High gain and wide bandwidth necessarily require a large aperture, but economical orbital deployment conventionally dictates that designs be light and small enough to fit or fold inside a launch vehicle or satellite deployment mechanism.” .
Mitsubishi also claims that by developing a D printer that extrudes a custom ultraviolet-curable resin formulated for vacuum, “free-form additive manufacturing in space has now become possible.”