Lightweight space structures such as cubesats, deployable solar panels, antenna arrays and space telescopes rely on compact, efficient designs to minimize launch costs and maximize functionality. New research from the University of Illinois provides significant progress for these applications by integrating flexible electronics into self-deployable booms.
Researchers have created a 20-gram self-deployable boom with integrated flexible electronics for use in CubeSats. The boom is made from thin carbon fiber composite and is equipped with sensors and LEDs to withstand harsh space conditions and aid in deployment monitoring and visualization.
Lightweight design is critical for space structures, especially tools for compact, lightweight satellites. Versatility is an added advantage. To meet these requirements in a novel way, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have successfully combined flexible electronics with a three-layer self-deployable boom that weighs just 20 grams.
"It's difficult to integrate commercial electronics into these ultra-thin structures, and the idea for this work began at a meeting two years ago," said Xin Ning, a professor of aerospace and aerospace at the University of Illinois Grainger School of Engineering.
He introduced his unique expertise in fabricating multifunctional spatial structures that integrate lightweight, flexible electronics.
"It caught the attention of Juan Fernandez of NASA's Langley Research Center. He was building a boom structure for a CubeSat project at Virginia Tech and saw an opportunity to collaborate and add a multifunctional device to the structure rather than just a pure structure," Ning said.
Ultimately, the boom used to house the electronics was fabricated at NASA Langley Research Center. It's a three-layer carbon fiber and epoxy resin composite designed to be very thin, about as thick as a sheet of paper. It can be rolled up like a tape measure, storing energy in the coil until it unrolls itself in space.
"Virginia Tech has specific demands on us, some of which pose challenges for us," Ning said. "One was length. They wanted to embed power and data lines over a meter long in a paper-thin composite material. We tried different materials and techniques. Ultimately, we used commercially available thin wires coated with insulation, and it worked. I think we overthought it at the beginning. We'd tried harder and more complicated methods, but they all failed. This was a simple and reliable solution, using off-the-shelf, readily available wires."
Another key component is a lightweight, flexible electronic patch with a motion sensor, a temperature sensor and a blue light-emitting diode, all mounted on the top of the boom. Ning explains that the electronic components need to be able to withstand the harsh thermal vacuum conditions of space while remaining flexible enough to withstand the sudden deployment of a coiled boom. Motion sensors monitor the boom's deployment and vibrations, and blue light-emitting diodes help CubeSat cameras see structures in space after deployment.
Ning's team conducted comprehensive ground experiments and simulations to explore the mechanical properties of the bistable boom with flexible electronics, as well as its deployment and vibration behavior. These basic studies can provide valuable insights into the design of future multifunctional spatial structures. "We are also working to make flexible electronics more durable in space to protect them and allow them to operate longer in the space environment."
Virginia Tech's three-unit CubeSat, equipped with a multi-purpose boom, is scheduled to launch in 2025.
Compiled from /ScitechDaily