AM-SPACE

The demand for small and micro satellites is constantly increasing. In the next five to six years, it is expected that more small satellites will be launched than ever before. While the actual satellite is getting smaller and smaller, the energy requirement is increasing, meaning that the solar panels need to be stowed more and more efficiently. In addition, the electromechanical mechanism for unfolding the satellite is heavy and occasionally leads to failures.

The AM-SPACE (- Additive Manufacturing of Solar Panels for spACE applications) project addresses several of these challenges. Instead of heavy metal hinges, memory plastics are being developed that mechanically and electrically connect the individual solar elements. This means that the solar panels can be folded up with virtually no loss and unfold using only heat, without any other electromechanical components.