Prototypage d’un bras déployable à application spatiale, mémoire en collaboration avec Aerospacelab

Details

Supervisors

Herman, Benoît ; Happé, Sébastien

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité spécialisée: mécatronique

Abstract

enContext : The space domain is undergoing significant evolution and has seen the arrival of new private actors in recent years. Unlike traditional players, their primary objective is the profitability of the projects they undertake. To achieve this, these Newspace actors introduce innovative design principles that focus on cost reduction, rapid prototyping, and modularity. Aerospacelab, the partner company for this thesis, is part of this dynamic. Objectives : This thesis presents the development and prototyping of a deployable arm for space applications. It implements design principles specific to Newspace and aims to obtain a proof of concept for this deployable arm, which could serve various applications within Aerospacelab. Theories : Following an in-depth literature review of existing solutions, theories for modeling the behavior of the future prototype during its deployment will be presented. These theories provide a better understanding of the technological challenges, allowing for better anticipation of limiting factors. Prototypes : The main body of the master thesis covers the design, development, and testing phases of the telescopic arm prototype. All these stages have highlighted the challenges of such technology intended for space and have characterized our overall system. Results: The characterization results of the prototype have highlighted the limitations of the theories in modeling them accurately. However, it was possible to determine a safe zone to ensure deployment. Finally, potential improvements and future steps for the continued development of the prototype were discussed, demonstrating the potential of such technology.