With a domestically built microsatellite and a state-of-the-art 3D metal printer, one of the few at European level, Cyprus, a small island nation and an EU member state since 2004 is being put squarely on the space map.
The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) metal 3D printer will be used to create the microsatellite which is expected to be launched in 2026.
The printing machine itself as well as the progress so far in the microsatellite were presented on Friday at the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization (CSEO).
Presentations were made by distinguished scientists of the Center and collaborators/partners in the project from Cyprus and abroad, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou and Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides.
The Cyprus Space Centre (C-SpaRC – www.csparc.org) is being implemented under the auspices of COSPAR, the leading international space research organisation, and has been selected as an International Space Innovation Centre.
The microsat
ellite, which is expected to be completed in 113 weeks, will likely be launched from a center in the US, but the exact launch site is still being assessed.
Confidence was expressed that since microsatellites are launched at lower orbits and are fast moving around our planet the licensing procedures for the frequency and launch will be quick.
It will be launched at an orbital altitude of around 500 km and its exact position and trajectory are still under discussion. It can remain in space for a period of up to five years. Its technology also allows for this longer mission, it has low energy consumption and has the capacity to transfer a lot of data.
The experiments to be done will concern space weather, using NASA sensors, to better understand the influence of solar storms on our planet’s atmosphere and our biology, while data will be collected on our environment and forests for early fire detection, for navigational purposes even in issues related to migration.
In terms of our biology, scientists will be
able to understand what happens to our gene expression when astronauts travel in space, if changes are observed and if there can be a reversal of the profile of this change.
This space research is also beneficial to applications on Earth for the formulation of personalised medicine.
The scientists in their presentations also referred to the research and innovation that is developing with the creation of the microsatellite, the training and development of the ecosystem, the infrastructure to qualify space missions to reduce the launch risk and the capabilities of sending commands to the craft in real time.
The satellite, with 3D printed parts, is being developed in collaboration with NASA and COSPAR, the leading international space research organization.
Project partners include the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO), the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING), the CYENS Center of Excellence, the University of Cyprus, the Aretaieion Private Hospital, as well as representatives of NASA
TRISH and Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory.
Head of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO), George Danos, told the press during the presentation that the metal printer is essentially the first large machine coming to the Cyprus Space Center.
“It is the strategic infrastructure that we implement with competitive funding from the Research and Innovation Foundation in collaboration with NASA. This is one of the few metal printers of such specifications. The quality of the print, the size of the print, as well as the possibilities of using multiple metals such as aluminum, steel titanium, etc. and the innovative generative design technology allows us to manufacture metal parts and space assets that are much lighter’, he said.
Danos explained that when you’re going to launch something into space, like Cyprus’ microsatellite, you want it to be as light as possible so it costs less to launch.
He added that the technology will enable us to have rapid production of microsatellites, but it will also help
the wider ecosystem.
Kyriakos Michael, mechanical engineer and head of CSEO’s strategic infrastructure, said that these systems have practical uses already in industry, even in the defence industry.
“They are used for quick repairs, they make repair parts, if something breaks on the ship, for example, they quickly print it using this machine and it is used in the military as well,” he explained.
Deputy Minister of Research and Innovation, Nikodemos Damianou, warmly congratulated all the scientists and noted that there are serious and very important applications for the technology presented today and expressed the hope that at the end of the day they can be effectively used and that they can assist in growing the ecosystem of space technologies, which the Deputy Ministry attaches great importance to.
Source: Cyprus News Agency