Advanced technologies development
For more than 30 years, Kayser Italia has developed many new technologies for advanced space research with the purpose to make them available on ground, for the improvement of human health, the industry development and of the daily life activities.
Shape Memory Alloys
Actuators based on metals that change shape when subjected to heat. Kayser Italia has developed extensive applications of SMA for experiment units to run biology experiments in weightlessness on the International Space station, Russian capsules or other orbiting vehicles.
The units have already flown on several ESA and ASI space missions.
SEMBRA (ASI) – Sensoristica Multi-Bus per Robotica Spaziale
Definition of a communication bus standard for networks of low data-rate sensors and actuators, with layouts spanning up to one-hundred meters, with dual (wired + wireless) connectivity.
In addition to the OSN architecture advantages, the Implementation of the dual bus standard will simplify ground testability of flight systems, with great economical advantages in terms of mission cost savings.
A Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) implements the dual bus Sensor Network.
OSN (ESA) – On-board Sensor Network
A new communication bus standard for networks of low data-rate sensors and actuators (100kbps), with layouts spanning over tens to one-hundred meters. The communication bus specifications results in cabling simplification and mass and volume harness reduction.
The implementation of the bus standard will also simplify ground testability of flight system, with great economical advantages in terms of mission cost savings.
TSS – Tensegrity Space Structures
To provide innovation in the field of deployable systems by exploiting tensegrity structures as a possible concept to deploy large aperture structures in space, avoiding or reducing to the maximum extent the presence of mechanical elements (e.g. hinge components, actuators, pulleys) in order to eliminate possible failure sources in the structure during its deployment.
Electro Active Polymers
Development of EAP materials
to be used to monitor and control inflatable and deployable lightweight space structures.
Development of two GNSS Retroreflector Arrays (GRA) addressed to satellite laser ranging:
- GRA: large prototype composed of 55 retroreflectors
- GRA-H: prototype composed of 7 hollow cube corner retroreflectors (HCCR)
Peltier Controllers
Cooling and heating of experiments and facilities in space is often performed by Peltier modules. Peltier controllers ranging from 25 W up to 250 W have been designed and flight qualified for different payloads.
EGSE – Electrical Ground Support Equipment
A wide range of different EGSE, MGSE, SCOE, have been designed and produced to assist functional and operational testing.