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E. Common Infrastructures Advanced Mechanism and Materials Technologies Supporting Emerging Space Utilization

This research initiative aims to enable more flexible, wide-ranging, and longer-duration space activities. To achieve this, it focuses on developing technologies that accurately characterize and predict space environmental effects, while also establishing foundational technologies for materials, mechanisms, and structures capable of withstanding those environments. In addition, it seeks to develop common-use equipment, including mechanical cryocoolers and attitude control actuators.

Significance of the Research

Future satellites are expected to support new mission applications, including optical observation from very low Earth orbit (VLEO) and geostationary orbit, as well as secondary use that leverages extended mission lifetimes. Moreover, the primary domain for space activities is expanding significantly—from Earth orbit to the Moon.

To design such innovative and flexible space missions and translate them into practical development, it is essential to accurately predict the environmental conditions of the target operational domain. Furthermore, the foundational technologies and common-use equipment required for these missions must achieve a high level of performance, ensuring both resilience in space environments and compatibility with a wide range of operating conditions.

Research Objectives

This research sets the following objectives and addresses them through eight subthemes:

1.
Satellite orbital environments
Development of technologies that either relax system and operational constraints by more than twofold compared with conventional approaches or expand accessible orbits and enable flexible on-orbit services.
2.
Lunar surface environments
Development of technologies that expand the operational range by more than tenfold compared with conventional capabilities or significantly extend operational duration.

Subthemes