Researchers have created low-cost 3D-printed plasma sensors for satellites
Doing just about anything in space is expensive, but a group of MIT scientists have found a way to cut some costs and possibly help speed up research on climate change. The team developed what MIT says are the first 3D-printed plasma sensors for use in satellites. The sensors can detect the chemical composition and distribution of ion energy in plasma in the upper atmosphere.
Researchers used a printable glass-ceramic material called Vitrolite to make the sensors, also known as Retarding Potential (RPA) Analyzers. It is said to be more durable than other materials commonly used in sensors, such as thin-film coatings and silicon. Using a 3D printing method, the team created intricately shaped sensors that MIT says can "withstand the large temperature swings a spacecraft would encounter in lower Earth orbit." Vitrolite can withstand temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius without melting, while polymers used in other RPA's begin to degrade at 400 degrees Celsius.
This means that these sensors could be suitable for low cost cubesats. When used on orbiting satellites, RPAs can perform chemical analysis and measure energy, which can aid in weather forecasting and monitoring climate change.
Scientists say the sensors perform as well as similar devices that use semiconductors and are made in a clean room. Assembling RPAs in a clean room is an expensive process that can take several weeks. Making them with 3D printers and laser cutting only takes a few days and costs "tens of dollars".
Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, senior scientist at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories and lead author of a paper on the sensors, already sees room for improvement. He wants to reduce the layer thickness or pixel size of the glass-ceramic polymerization vessel in hopes of creating more complex and precise devices. There is also the belief that "fully additive manufacturing of sensors would make them compatible with manufacturing in space".
NASA has been working on 3D printing from space for several years. He printed keys on the International Space Station. As early as 2024, NASA plans to launch a demonstration spacecraft capable of building, assembling and deploying a surrogate solar generator to find out how the approach can benefit the Artemis program.
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Doing just about anything in space is expensive, but a group of MIT scientists have found a way to cut some costs and possibly help speed up research on climate change. The team developed what MIT says are the first 3D-printed plasma sensors for use in satellites. The sensors can detect the chemical composition and distribution of ion energy in plasma in the upper atmosphere.
Researchers used a printable glass-ceramic material called Vitrolite to make the sensors, also known as Retarding Potential (RPA) Analyzers. It is said to be more durable than other materials commonly used in sensors, such as thin-film coatings and silicon. Using a 3D printing method, the team created intricately shaped sensors that MIT says can "withstand the large temperature swings a spacecraft would encounter in lower Earth orbit." Vitrolite can withstand temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius without melting, while polymers used in other RPA's begin to degrade at 400 degrees Celsius.
This means that these sensors could be suitable for low cost cubesats. When used on orbiting satellites, RPAs can perform chemical analysis and measure energy, which can aid in weather forecasting and monitoring climate change.
Scientists say the sensors perform as well as similar devices that use semiconductors and are made in a clean room. Assembling RPAs in a clean room is an expensive process that can take several weeks. Making them with 3D printers and laser cutting only takes a few days and costs "tens of dollars".
Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, senior scientist at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories and lead author of a paper on the sensors, already sees room for improvement. He wants to reduce the layer thickness or pixel size of the glass-ceramic polymerization vessel in hopes of creating more complex and precise devices. There is also the belief that "fully additive manufacturing of sensors would make them compatible with manufacturing in space".
NASA has been working on 3D printing from space for several years. He printed keys on the International Space Station. As early as 2024, NASA plans to launch a demonstration spacecraft capable of building, assembling and deploying a surrogate solar generator to find out how the approach can benefit the Artemis program.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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