IRAS - New technologies for low cost satellites

To persist in the space business low cost satellites with a short production time and life-spans of 1-4 years are the way to go. In the Integrated Digital Research Platform for Affordable Satellites (IRAS) project we work towards making affordable technologies fit for space. Off-the-shelf components e. g. from automotive industry are researched and adapted to make them usable in space. To achieve this, additive manufacturing techniques using polymeric, metallic, and ceramic materials are combined with multifunctional and bionic structures, resulting in lightweight, cost-efficient and integrated structures. Satellite propulsion is also considered and two green propulsion systems are being developed. Furthermore, a Digital Concurrent Engineering Platform (DCEP) is under development. This platform will enable engineers to jointly develop satellites in a new way without the need of physical proximity. This paper presents the concepts and current developments in these fields and details how new technologies can be combined to develop multifunctional structures such as the integration shielding against cosmic rays directly into additively manufactured satellite structures. These new developments are integrated in the technology demonstrator satellite missions SOURCE, a CubeSat, and a microsat OREUS.