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CATEC and CiTD develop components in 3D printing for the new CHEOPS satellite of the European Space Agency


October 30th 2018

Both entities have developed a set of bionic flight parts with a weight reduction of 50%, which allow the connection to the lifting system of the solar panels of the satellite


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CATEC has collaborated with the Spanish engineering company CiTD in the design, development and manufacture of new aerospace components for the new CHEOPS satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) that will be launched into space at the beginning of 2019. In particular, they have developed parts key of the mechanism that allows to connect the lifting tool of the solar panels that has said satellite.

Due to the processes of assembly and integration, the tools of this mechanism are blocked after the assembly, which supposes an important penalty for the satellite weight. For this reason, CATEC and CiTD have developed a set of 8 pieces of bionic flight through the technology of additive manufacturing (3D printing), which has led to a 50% reduction in weight and an optimization in the design of said component.

The pieces have been manufactured in the facilities of our Center, which has also been responsible for inspection and verification, while CiTD has been responsible for the definition and justification under ESA standards. The entire set of parts was delivered to the Spanish delegation of Airbus Defense & Space, which is the main contractor of the CHEOPS satellite and which completed its integration in recent weeks.

Fernando Lasagni, head of the Materials and Processes Division of CATEC, indicated that the manufacture of this piece means "a further leap in the real application of additive manufacturing to the aerospace sector, where our center has become an international reference thanks to the production of pieces of this type both for the space industry, in shuttles and rockets, and for the aviation industry, already integrated into civilian and military aircraft ".

CHEOPS (Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite) is the first scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) developed and manufactured in Spain and its objective is to study, for at least three and a half years, the movements of exoplanets that orbit around nearby bright stars beyond the Solar System, and analyze its characteristics.



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