The European Space Agency Tender

Traditional Radiation Shielding For Sensitive Parts Relies On Aluminium, Whichcan Either Be Part Of The Satellite Structure Or Electronics Boxes. On The Otherhand, Carbon Composite Materials, Which Are Also Used For Structuralapplications, With Promising Mass Saving Properties, Tend To Have Overalllower Radiation Shielding Performance Due To The Lower Mass, And Potentiallyoffer Lower Protection Against Electromagnetic Interference (emi). Differentsolutions Have Been Investigated To Improve Radiation Shielding Specificefficiency, Such As Use Of Multi-layer Materials (combining Low And High Atomicnumber Z), Or Incorporation Of Radiation Absorbing Fillers Into The Materials.within This Activity, The Design Of The Lightweight Radiation Shielding Shall Betailored For The Specific Application And Environment (e.g. Low Earth Orbit(leo), Geostationary Earth Orbit (geo), Planetary). Moreover, Themanufacturing Processes Shall Be Optimised To Such An Extent That Newshielding Materials Can Be Incorporated Into Future As Well As Currentspacecraft Designs.the Following Tasks Are Foreseen In This Activity: Materials Design Trade-off And State-of-the-art Assessment, Taking Intoaccount Qualification Status, Susceptibility To Space Environment (inparticular Leo), Selection Of The Application Case And Definition Of Thetargeted Requirements. Definition And Modelling Of The Relevant Radiation Environments (usingestablished Tools). Manufacturing Process Trials, I.e. Optimization Of The Selectedprocesses For Light-weight Shielding Manufacture On Low Scale, Toensure Compliance With The Targeted Requirements. Sample Level Manufacture And Durability/functional Testing (includingradiation Shielding Efficiency). Sample Level Environmental Testing (thermal Cycling, Includingvacuum Exposure, Atox Exposure If Applicable). Scaled-up Engineering Model Design, Manufacture, And Test. Final Consolidation And Recommendations For The Future Application.note: This Activity Is Currently In The Gstp Work Plan But Will Only Be Implemented After Confirmation Of Financial Supportfrom Delegations. The Final List Of Participating States Will Be Known At Tender Issue. Disclaimer : Closing date mentioned is an assumption date, Please contact the tendering authority to get exact closing date.