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30. Apr. 2025
Space research is nothing new at CEITEC BUT. For almost a decade, various research groups have been developing projects here that confirm that Czech scientists are among the European leaders in the development of space technologies. Among the very successful ones was, for example, the BDSAT project, which confirmed the functionality of sensor systems directly in orbit.
The BDSAT project and the resulting nanosatellite BDSAT-2 were solved successively from 2019 until this February in cooperation between CEITEC and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEEC) BUT and the company BD SENSORS. Their joint goal was to put a 10×10×10 cm CubeSat nanosatellite into low Earth orbit with an experimental payload in the form of a pressure sensor and a bank of supercapacitors, while confirming that both technologies work properly in space by long-term measurements under space conditions. “Based on the data obtained, the final defence showed that during the nanosatellite’s long-term stay in open space, the tested pressure sensor and supercapacitors showed almost zero influence from external challenging conditions with large temperature cycles and increased radiation. Both devices have thus reached the highest level of technical readiness of TRL 9, which is a reliable guarantee for their possible use in space applications,” says Prof. Radimír Vrba, Director of CEITEC BUT and project leader. According to him, the success has opened the way for BD SENSORS to join an international consortium to supply pressure sensors for the Lunar Gateway international space station, which is planned to be sent into orbit. “This is an unquestionable success and a great promise for future missions involving technologies and components from BD SENSORS and BUT”, adds Jaroslav Kadlec, who prepared the project and designed and executed the software architecture of the satellite together with Radek Kuchta. Radek Vlach from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) BUT created mathematical models of the nanosatellite itself, where he examined the effects of external influences and the mechanical and thermal resistance of the entire device, including experimental sensors, on a complete 3D model.
However, an integral and very important part of the work of the BUT team was also the creation of the concept of monitoring and control of the nanosatellite in orbit, using a ground-based radio communication station located in the Laboratory of Experimental Satellites at the FEEC BUT. Here, not only did the pre-flight testing of the basic functionality of the entire communication chain of the ground station take place, but also the establishment and maintenance of regular communication with the transmission and the pre-processing of measured data after the launch of the nanosatellite into space on 3 January 2023. “While the nanosatellite was in orbit, it initially hovered at an altitude of about 550 km above the Earth’s surface and made nearly 12,000 flybys in those two years. A single orbit of CubeSat lasted about 94 minutes, but due to its rapidly changing position, it could only communicate with our lab for just over 3 minutes per flyby. That means that we had a very narrow window of opportunity to obtain all the data we needed,” explain Tomáš Urbanec and Prof. Miroslav Kasal, adding that the nanosatellite dropped several hundred metres each day in orbit until it reached a critical altitude of 200 km above the Earth’s surface on 10 February 2025, and then burned up completely in the atmosphere on the same day.
A key part of the project was shouldered by BD SENSORS, who were responsible for designing the entire experiment to verify the pressure sensor and the bank of supercapacitors in orbit. In cooperation with the company SPACEMANIC and BUT, the team also dealt with the conception and proper configuration of the nanosatellite including the selection of suitable components, the development of the experimental pressure sensor and the bank of supercapacitors, the mechanical design and construction of the nanosatellite and the subsequent functional tests of the entire probe including the scientific loads.
The actual experiment to verify the functionality of the pressure gauge involved continuously measuring the pressure in a closed chamber. The value of the pressure varied depending on whether the satellite was exposed to sunlight, which could heat its surface to +60 °C, or whether it was passing through the shadow of the Earth, when the surface of the probe cooled down to -40 °C. “However, the internal structure, which included a relatively thick stainless-steel plate, managed to keep the temperature inside the chamber above freezing throughout the experiment, which means that the working conditions of the internal electronics were favourable,” concludes Prof. Vrba, adding that the conditions were also favourable when the supercapacitor bank was tested. “This technology has also been shown to work flawlessly and may thus replace conventional battery power systems in the future,” remarks Radek Kuchta.
Space research includes structural analysis and tribology
Although the BDSAT project has ended, many other investigations are ongoing with exciting results. Within the Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterization research group at CEITEC BUT, led by Prof. Jozef Kaiser, various structural analysis projects using X-ray computed tomography (CT) are currently underway. “For example, in cooperation with the company One3D, which created the basic frame of the CubeSat test satellite using additive technology from aluminium alloy within the ESA BIC project, a CT analysis was carried out in our laboratory, not only of the input metal powder for 3D printing, but also a verification of the manufacturing process through reference smaller prints and also an inspection of the final CubeSat body,” says the head of the laboratory, Tomáš Zikmund. The results of the porosity analysis were displayed not only in a 3D render, but also in the form of a cubic grid, where the relative porosity in each volume element of the grid overlaid over the sample was evaluated. “This view allows us to better highlight areas with local clusters of minor porosity that can weaken the mechanical properties of the part. Developing this CubeSat prototype taught us the quality control procedures of additively manufactured parts for space applications. This makes us ready to test sharp parts that will fly in space,” he says, adding that such structural analysis can, of course, be applied to conventional engineering and other areas of industry.
Projects focusing on laser spectroscopy analysis are underway in the second laboratory at the disposal of Prof. Kaiser’s research group. For example, his team, with SAB Aerospace and the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS, was part of the ambitious Slavia satellite mission to develop advanced optics for a payload named Vesna. This was to track the characteristic spectra of meteorites from orbit. “The mission was originally planned in tandem of two satellites that were to stereoscopically track one common field of view, trace meteorites and determine their chemical compositions directly from orbit. However, this project was not selected among the ambitious missions, and Slavia was not supported,” concludes Pořízka, adding that the project is now undergoing revision and will be targeted for inclusion in the ESA Space Rider experiment.
At CEITEC BUT, space research is also actively progressing in a team led by Prof. Martin Pumera. His team is currently exploring several innovative projects, including 3D printing of batteries, vibration-powered generators, and sensors made from Lunar and Martian rocks, as well as asteroid materials. These technologies are being developed with future long-term human missions in mind, focusing on sustained presence in space and on celestial bodies. The team is also studying the behaviour of micro- and nano-robots in space environments. “I have been working on nanorobots since 2009, so we now have a wealth of knowledge about the behaviour of nanorobots the size of bacteria or viruses in our familiar environment here on Earth. However, we know that they will behave differently in a space environment, and we want to know exactly how, which is important for future special applications such as nanorobot treatment of astronauts in space,” he says.
Years ago, Martin Pumera had planned experimental ballistic flights with colleagues in Germany, during which the behaviour of these miniature robots would be tested in weightless states lasting several minutes. “But then came the SARS-Cov-19 pandemic, and the experiment, unfortunately, failed to materialise. And with the necessary funding not flowing into the project, the project is now at a standstill. We are also currently working on 3D printing from Lunar regolith and regolith from asteroids, again self-funded. In the US, where I worked with Jet Propulsion Labs on two space projects more than 20 years ago for a mission to Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa, NASA also funded our applied research. Sadly, I don’t see any systemic funding for space activities in the Czech Republic,” continues Prof. Pumera. He is referring to the fact that without such critical funding, the project cannot be developed to its full potential, which leads to delays. Therefore, there is a risk that we could easily be overtaken by international competitors who have systemic funding. “At present, our hope and vision is that we will succeed in joining the Czech Journey to Space mission, during which our astronaut Aleš Svoboda should fly to the International Space Station (ISS). But even in this case, everything depends on whether we can obtain the necessary funding, because for such a mission all the technologies and procedures of the experiment need to be adapted to the conditions of the strict rules on the ISS,” concludes Martin Pumera.
Author: Kristina Blűmelová
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