FEATURE MILITARY, AEROSPACE & DEFENCE
Flight model IR detectors to be integrated into a new weather satellite instrument
SMWIR and LVWIR detectors developed by LYNRED will be integrated into the METimage instrument that will gather cloud, aerosol and Earth surface temperature data
Lynred has delivered the first flight model IR detectors to Airbus Defence and Space for the MetOP-SG project, a next-generation weather satellite mission
A
s a designer and manufacturer of high-quality infrared technologies
for aerospace, defence and commercial markets, Lynred has delivered the first flight model IR detectors to Airbus Defence and Space for the MetOP-SG project, a next-generation weather satellite mission. Developed by Airbus under the
responsibility of the Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR –
German Aerospace Center) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, the three flight units of the innovative METimage weather instrument will be onboard the MetOp- Second Generation satellites – the first of which is scheduled to launch in 2023. Lynred will deliver two infrared (IR)
detectors: SMWIR (short- and mid- wavelength) and LVWIR (long- and very long-wavelength), for integration in the
TESTING AND MANUFACTURING METAL COMPOSITES FOR SPACECRAFT STRUCTURES
TISICS, a supplier of lightweight Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) for high performance industries, has signed up to the national SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) business support programme. SPRINT will provide funding for two projects, in collaboration with the University of Surrey and The Open University, to develop technologies that will enable advanced lightweight tanks for demisable spacecraft and the critical tanks needed for lightweight storage of hydrogen to meet net-zero transport ambitions. The first project will develop standardised TISICS Metal Composites – Lightweight Smallsat (Small
Satellite) Propellant Tank .jpgd fracture mechanics testing methods; and the second, digitising a key process to reduce both cost and manufacturing energy consumption. According to TISICS, it is the only integrated ceramic fibre and metal composite manufacturer worldwide, with a vision to develop world-leading industrial supply of high-performance pressure vessels and 40% lighter components for space, aviation and low-energy transport sectors. The projects will be funded by a grant from the £5 million SPRINT programme that provides
unprecedented access to university space expertise and facilities. SPRINT helps businesses through the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies. The SPRINT project with The Open University will exploit the expertise of the University’s Space
Instrument Development (SID) group and its experience in mass spectrometry, vacuum physics, gas processing and system control, enabling TISICS to develop a system that can allow in-cycle control of an out-gassing process, reducing costs and manufacturing energy consumption. The SPRINT project with the University of Surrey focuses on fracture testing of MMCs to enable qualification for use in satellite pressure vessels. The University of Surrey has expertise in testing materials as well as state-of-the-art testing equipment at its Mechanical Testing Facility and Microstructural Studies Unit. This will allow TISICS to develop a test method applicable to MMCs and generate data to demonstrate the safe use of fibre reinforced metal composites in spacecraft.
SPRINT TISICS
38 FEBRUARY 2021 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
www.sprint.ac.uk www.tisics.co.uk
METimage instrument. This multispectral imaging radiometers
instrument will generate information about clouds, aerosols, the Earth’s surface and their respective temperatures in 20 channels, from visible to infrared wavelengths (443 nanometers to 13.3 micrometers). Lynred’s IR detectors will cover 13 of the 20 channels: seven channels in the short- and mid- wavelengths with the SMWIR detector, six in the long- and very long- wavelengths with the LVWIR one. The large number of channels is
necessary to feed the predictive models, so that they can generate the required meteorological information. The selection of Lynred for the
METimage instrument is due to its high-level expertise and capability to design, produce and deliver space-grade IR detectors within the specified timeframes, the company explains. “Lynred is very proud to deliver these
two flights models, given the challenging context of this program: a demanding schedule together with requirements for exceptionally high-level performance, particularly for the long wavelength range IR detectors,” said Philippe Chorier, space business development manager at Lynred. “Our continued success in delivering products of space-grade quality to meet the high expectations of space equipment makers is the result of having extensive experience working in space applications, high-level IR designs and proven manufacturing expertise from SWIR up to the VLWIR range. Customers building space equipment can rely on us.”
Lynred
www.lynred.com
/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS
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