Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/S2468-8967(25)00142-9
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Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.009
Gregory Epiphaniou , Duncan Greaves , Carsten Maple , Martin Nelson , Gregory Falco , Nikolaos Ersotelos
<div><div>The protection of space units is of utmost importance in performing synchronisation tasks for space missions. In this context, scientific approaches related to Secure Software Engineering (SSE) have been proposed. The primary goal of SSE is to safeguard invaluable vulnerable mission assets throughout their lifecycle and under different operation types. Tools for automating and maintaining specific processes are becoming increasingly accessible for systems needing the highest levels of assurance. These technologies provide a higher level of assurance than formal methods alone and promise cost savings via automation and early diagnosis of problems. Space agencies, such as ESA and NASA, have introduced rigorous software engineering standards—such as ECSS-E-ST-40 and CCSDS 350.7-G-1—to ensure software assurance in complex or safety-critical space projects European Cooperation for Space Standardization (2009), Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (2019). However, this has created a complex landscape in which companies or consortia must follow different standards depending on which space agency they have been contracted. In addition, many international bodies have published secure software engineering standards in information technology and software lifecycle processes. Such global SSE initiatives, although mature, have not been formally tested in the lifecycle security of space applications. Numerous studies indicate that the space industry faces a significant threat to existing systems and software engineering due to the growing prevalence of offshore components and third-party commercial products not specifically made to suit supply chain needs. These commercial off-the-shelf items jeopardise the integrity of the aerospace industry’s technical systems and potentially endanger the lives of its operators and end-users Tranchard (2018). Given that software spans throughout the whole product lifecycle in any space program, existing initiatives must try to unify SSE practices in engineering, quality, and management whilst providing the testbed for validating the practical integration of SSE. However, technical and research challenges are identified as part of these SSE standardisation activities, such as the heterogeneity of the landscape in terms of SSE coverage, mapping of generic software security requirements to bespoke space applications, and accessibility and deployment of associated tools. This paper approaches the problem by identifying SSE best practices and standards from comparable industries. It compares and comments on their applicability to the space sector, justifying any unique requirements that can feed directly into the user requirements in existing efforts, and details any gaps identified. We envision that the outputs from this work will contribute to shaping formal recommendations and updates to relevant space standards by identifying and adapting suitable SSE processes that support automated testing and align with
对空间单位的保护在执行空间任务的同步任务中是至关重要的。在这种背景下，与安全软件工程（SSE）相关的科学方法已经被提出。SSE的主要目标是在整个生命周期和不同操作类型下保护宝贵的易受攻击的任务资产。对于需要最高级别的保证的系统来说，自动化和维护特定过程的工具越来越容易获得。这些技术提供了比单独的正式方法更高层次的保证，并承诺通过自动化和问题的早期诊断来节省成本。欧空局和美国国家航空航天局等航天机构已经引入了严格的软件工程标准，如ECSS-E-ST-40和CCSDS 350.7- g -1，以确保复杂或安全关键空间项目的软件保障。然而，这造成了一种复杂的局面，在这种情况下，公司或财团必须遵循不同的标准，这取决于它们与哪个航天局签订了合同。此外，许多国际组织已经在信息技术和软件生命周期过程中发布了安全软件工程标准。此类全球SSE倡议虽然成熟，但尚未在空间应用的生命周期安全方面进行正式测试。许多研究表明，由于离岸组件和第三方商业产品的日益普及，航天工业面临着对现有系统和软件工程的重大威胁，这些产品不是专门为满足供应链需求而制造的。这些商用现货会危及航空航天工业技术系统的完整性，并可能危及其操作员和最终用户的生命。考虑到软件跨越了任何空间项目的整个产品生命周期，现有的计划必须尝试在工程、质量和管理方面统一SSE实践，同时为验证SSE的实际集成提供测试平台。然而，技术和研究挑战被确定为SSE标准化活动的一部分，例如SSE覆盖范围的景观异质性，将通用软件安全需求映射到定制空间应用程序，以及相关工具的可访问性和部署。本文通过从可比行业中找出SSE的最佳实践和标准来解决这个问题。它比较和评论了它们对空间部门的适用性，证明了可以直接纳入现有工作中的用户需求的任何独特需求，并详细说明了所发现的任何差距。我们设想，这项工作的产出将有助于形成正式的建议，并通过识别和适应合适的SSE过程来更新相关的空间标准，这些过程支持自动化测试，并与传统和安全增强的系统工程（SE）方法保持一致，特别是在高保证和网络物理领域。
{"title":"Operationalisation of industry best practices in SSE standardisation for space mission systems","authors":"Gregory Epiphaniou , Duncan Greaves , Carsten Maple , Martin Nelson , Gregory Falco , Nikolaos Ersotelos","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The protection of space units is of utmost importance in performing synchronisation tasks for space missions. In this context, scientific approaches related to Secure Software Engineering (SSE) have been proposed. The primary goal of SSE is to safeguard invaluable vulnerable mission assets throughout their lifecycle and under different operation types. Tools for automating and maintaining specific processes are becoming increasingly accessible for systems needing the highest levels of assurance. These technologies provide a higher level of assurance than formal methods alone and promise cost savings via automation and early diagnosis of problems. Space agencies, such as ESA and NASA, have introduced rigorous software engineering standards—such as ECSS-E-ST-40 and CCSDS 350.7-G-1—to ensure software assurance in complex or safety-critical space projects European Cooperation for Space Standardization (2009), Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (2019). However, this has created a complex landscape in which companies or consortia must follow different standards depending on which space agency they have been contracted. In addition, many international bodies have published secure software engineering standards in information technology and software lifecycle processes. Such global SSE initiatives, although mature, have not been formally tested in the lifecycle security of space applications. Numerous studies indicate that the space industry faces a significant threat to existing systems and software engineering due to the growing prevalence of offshore components and third-party commercial products not specifically made to suit supply chain needs. These commercial off-the-shelf items jeopardise the integrity of the aerospace industry’s technical systems and potentially endanger the lives of its operators and end-users Tranchard (2018). Given that software spans throughout the whole product lifecycle in any space program, existing initiatives must try to unify SSE practices in engineering, quality, and management whilst providing the testbed for validating the practical integration of SSE. However, technical and research challenges are identified as part of these SSE standardisation activities, such as the heterogeneity of the landscape in terms of SSE coverage, mapping of generic software security requirements to bespoke space applications, and accessibility and deployment of associated tools. This paper approaches the problem by identifying SSE best practices and standards from comparable industries. It compares and comments on their applicability to the space sector, justifying any unique requirements that can feed directly into the user requirements in existing efforts, and details any gaps identified. We envision that the outputs from this work will contribute to shaping formal recommendations and updates to relevant space standards by identifying and adapting suitable SSE processes that support automated testing and align with ","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 730-748"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.009
Sayavur I. Bakhtiyarov , Lia D. Gventsadze , Elguja R. Kutelia , David I. Gventsadze , Ayten S. Bakhtiyarova , Stephen M. White
A thermal expansion model is developed to predict a thermal expansion coefficient for polymers matrix with iron doped CNTs filler. The model assumes a homogenous polymer matrix filled with the Fe doped CNTs, each CNT is doped by Fe atoms and the fillers are oriented parallel to the thermal expansion direction. The proposed model also doesn’t consider interfacial effects between the polymer matrix and nanofillers. The values of the thermal expansion coefficients for pristine PTFE and PTFE based nanocomposite with Fe doped CNTs filler of various concentrations were predicted using the proposed model and compared with the available thermomechanical information available in literature for the components of the composite. The results of simulations for pristine PTFE and PTFE with 2.5, 7.5 and 10 vol.% Fe doped CNTs fillers showed that, due to the low thermal expansions of the filler’s components (CNT and Fe) as compared to the polymer matrix (PTFE), thermal expansion coefficients of the PTFE based nanocomposites are up to 20 % lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of pristine PTFE. A linear empirical equation is provided to predict a thermal expansion coefficient as a function of the filler concentration.
{"title":"Modeling of thermomechanical properties of PTFE-based nanocomposite for space application: Thermal expansion","authors":"Sayavur I. Bakhtiyarov , Lia D. Gventsadze , Elguja R. Kutelia , David I. Gventsadze , Ayten S. Bakhtiyarova , Stephen M. White","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A thermal expansion model is developed to predict a thermal expansion coefficient for polymers matrix with iron doped CNTs filler. The model assumes a homogenous polymer matrix filled with the Fe doped CNTs, each CNT is doped by Fe atoms and the fillers are oriented parallel to the thermal expansion direction. The proposed model also doesn’t consider interfacial effects between the polymer matrix and nanofillers. The values of the thermal expansion coefficients for pristine PTFE and PTFE based nanocomposite with Fe doped CNTs filler of various concentrations were predicted using the proposed model and compared with the available thermomechanical information available in literature for the components of the composite. The results of simulations for pristine PTFE and PTFE with 2.5, 7.5 and 10 vol.% Fe doped CNTs fillers showed that, due to the low thermal expansions of the filler’s components (CNT and Fe) as compared to the polymer matrix (PTFE), thermal expansion coefficients of the PTFE based nanocomposites are up to 20 % lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of pristine PTFE. A linear empirical equation is provided to predict a thermal expansion coefficient as a function of the filler concentration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 715-722"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.003
Megan E. Perks , Hugh G. Lewis , Nina Vaidya
The collision risk posed to satellites is a key factor when assessing the long-term sustainability of activities in space. Additionally, advocates for the preservation of dark and quiet skies have raised concerns about the impacts of large satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on astronomical observations due to satellite streaks and an increase in diffuse night sky brightness from the space debris population. In response, multiple astronomy-driven working groups have been established to develop recommendations designed to reduce interference with astronomy-related uses of space. For example, the Satellite Constellations (SATCON) workshops produced recommendations which are incorporated into guidelines published by the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS). The DAMAGE computational model was used to study the effects of reducing large constellation altitudes to below 600 km on satellite conjunctions as has been recommended to reduce the impact on optical astronomy. The impact of this altitude reduction on both satellite collision risk and optical astronomy was evaluated. This study found that whilst operating satellites at lower altitudes reduces the contamination of astronomical images, the impact on collision risk for constellation satellites increases due to the reduced orbital volume within which the constellation operates. When formulating space sustainability guidelines, it will be important to consider this and other trade-offs arising from the perspectives of different users of the space environment.
{"title":"The impact of SATCON recommendations on the safety and sustainability of large constellations","authors":"Megan E. Perks , Hugh G. Lewis , Nina Vaidya","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The collision risk posed to satellites is a key factor when assessing the long-term sustainability of activities in space. Additionally, advocates for the preservation of dark and quiet skies have raised concerns about the impacts of large satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on astronomical observations due to satellite streaks and an increase in diffuse night sky brightness from the space debris population. In response, multiple astronomy-driven working groups have been established to develop recommendations designed to reduce interference with astronomy-related uses of space. For example, the Satellite Constellations (SATCON) workshops produced recommendations which are incorporated into guidelines published by the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS). The DAMAGE computational model was used to study the effects of reducing large constellation altitudes to below 600 km on satellite conjunctions as has been recommended to reduce the impact on optical astronomy. The impact of this altitude reduction on both satellite collision risk and optical astronomy was evaluated. This study found that whilst operating satellites at lower altitudes reduces the contamination of astronomical images, the impact on collision risk for constellation satellites increases due to the reduced orbital volume within which the constellation operates. When formulating space sustainability guidelines, it will be important to consider this and other trade-offs arising from the perspectives of different users of the space environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 782-791"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.006
Matteo Bartolini
The NewSpace industry represents a paradigm shift in the aerospace sector, transitioning from government-led space activities to a commercialized, innovation-driven market. While this shift has accelerated technological advancements and economic growth, it has also introduced significant sustainability challenges. This study examines the transparency and sustainability reporting practices of NewSpace companies, evaluating their alignment with global sustainability goals and industry best practices.
By analyzing 94 NewSpace companies, this research identifies the limited prevalence of sustainability reporting, with only 16 firms publishing non-financial reports. The findings highlight that companies most frequently address SDGs related to climate action (SDG 13), industry innovation (SDG 9), global partnerships (SDG 17), and clean energy (SDG 7). However, the voluntary nature of sustainability reporting results in inconsistencies in disclosure, clarity, and accuracy, making cross-industry comparisons challenging. Building on this assumption, we further explore whether introducing a new SDG goal specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of aerospace activities would be more effective in evaluating these companies.
{"title":"Towards sustainable space: Assessing the contribution to the SDGs in aerospace activities","authors":"Matteo Bartolini","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The NewSpace industry represents a paradigm shift in the aerospace sector, transitioning from government-led space activities to a commercialized, innovation-driven market. While this shift has accelerated technological advancements and economic growth, it has also introduced significant sustainability challenges. This study examines the transparency and sustainability reporting practices of NewSpace companies, evaluating their alignment with global sustainability goals and industry best practices.</div><div>By analyzing 94 NewSpace companies, this research identifies the limited prevalence of sustainability reporting, with only 16 firms publishing non-financial reports. The findings highlight that companies most frequently address SDGs related to climate action (SDG 13), industry innovation (SDG 9), global partnerships (SDG 17), and clean energy (SDG 7). However, the voluntary nature of sustainability reporting results in inconsistencies in disclosure, clarity, and accuracy, making cross-industry comparisons challenging. Building on this assumption, we further explore whether introducing a new SDG goal specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of aerospace activities would be more effective in evaluating these companies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 811-824"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/S2468-8967(25)00144-2
{"title":"Front page","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2468-8967(25)00144-2","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2468-8967(25)00144-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Page i"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.008
E. Suhir
An intuitively justified and effective deterministic figure-of-merit, the exponential-law-of-reliability, is widely employed today, mostly in electronics and photonics reliability engineering, to assess the failure-rate and the time dependent probability-of-nonfailure of a material, device or a product. This law is, however, inconsistent: it determines the probability-of-non-failure, while the failure rate, the physical parameter it depends upon, is treated as a deterministic value. In this technical note we add the probabilistic dimension to this “law”, making it a probabilistic exponential-law-of-reliability. Such a conversion is done by treating the failure rate in its formulation as a random variable. Our main objective is to assess the accuracy of the existing, traditional, law, using its probabilistic interpretation, when predicting the probability of the occurrence of an actual random event. We have chosen the famous Tunguska meteorite event to do that. The analysis is limited to the case, when the failure rate of this event is a Rayleigh distributed steady-state random variable. The probability of non-failure, i.e., the probability of non-hitting the “target”, the Earth, sought as a nonrandom function of the random failure rate, obviously becomes a random variable itself. We determine its probability density and the probability distribution functions and apply them for the prediction of the probability and the corresponding time of the possible re-occurrence of the event in question. We have found that the most likely failure rate (mode) of the event, instead of its mean value in the traditional law, is by about 20 % less conservative, i.e., results in higher probabilities of non-failure, than the probabilistic law does. Future work should be focused on applying the suggested probabilistic exponential law to other critical aerospace-safety problems, and even beyond the aerospace safety field. This work should consider also other-than-Rayleigh probability distributions for the failure rates (such as, say, Weibull distribution), as well as the roles of the non-steady-state random failure rates, taking place in the infant mortality and the wear-out portions of the bathtub curve. Future work should also consider, in addition to the predicted probabilities of failure of the product of interest in the field, also the consequences of the possible failures.
{"title":"Exponential law of reliability and its applications in some critical aerospace safety problems: Perspective","authors":"E. Suhir","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.08.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An intuitively justified and effective deterministic figure-of-merit, the exponential-law-of-reliability, is widely employed today, mostly in electronics and photonics reliability engineering, to assess the failure-rate and the time dependent probability-of-nonfailure of a material, device or a product. This law is, however, inconsistent: it determines the probability-of-non-failure, while the failure rate, the physical parameter it depends upon, is treated as a deterministic value. In this technical note we add the probabilistic dimension to this “law”, making it a probabilistic exponential-law-of-reliability. Such a conversion is done by treating the failure rate in its formulation as a random variable. Our main objective is to assess the accuracy of the existing, traditional, law, using its probabilistic interpretation, when predicting the probability of the occurrence of an actual random event. We have chosen the famous Tunguska meteorite event to do that. The analysis is limited to the case, when the failure rate of this event is a Rayleigh distributed steady-state random variable. The probability of non-failure, i.e., the probability of non-hitting the “target”, the Earth, sought as a nonrandom function of the random failure rate, obviously becomes a random variable itself. We determine its probability density and the probability distribution functions and apply them for the prediction of the probability and the corresponding time of the possible re-occurrence of the event in question. We have found that the most likely failure rate (mode) of the event, instead of its mean value in the traditional law, is by about 20 % less conservative, i.e., results in higher probabilities of non-failure, than the probabilistic law does. Future work should be focused on applying the suggested probabilistic exponential law to other critical aerospace-safety problems, and even beyond the aerospace safety field. This work should consider also other-than-Rayleigh probability distributions for the failure rates (such as, say, Weibull distribution), as well as the roles of the non-steady-state random failure rates, taking place in the infant mortality and the wear-out portions of the bathtub curve. Future work should also consider, in addition to the predicted probabilities of failure of the product of interest in the field, also the consequences of the possible failures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 598-603"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.003
Joaquín Meléndez , Jeanette Bast , Johan Bogaerts , Jeremy Bouten , Angelo Costantino , Luc De Busser , Rutger De Nutte , Isabelle De Preter , Andy De Wilde , Felix De Wispelaere , Filip Dewitte , Wim Derkinderen , Bert Dobbelaere , Jürgen De Saedeleer , Peter Eichenberger , Nico Fleurinck , Hugo García , Herwig Hellinckx , Lennert Jans , Christophe Lauwerys , Óscar Gracia
The next decade will see a boom of space exploration, with a mix of government agencies, international collaborations, and private ventures committed to establish new international space stations, return on permanent basis to the Moon and bring humanity for the first time to Mars. In this scenario, the berthing and docking mechanisms play an essential role, as they act as the first point of contact, the connection between spaceships, and the gate every astronaut will pass through when moving from one vehicle to the other.
This paper presents the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM) developed and qualified by Redwire Space NV together with SENER and BGC under an ESA project. IBDM is an androgynous low impact docking system that is capable of docking and berthing large and small spacecrafts. The docking mechanism comprises an actively force-controlled platform called the Soft Capture System (SCS), and a structural mating system called the Hard Capture System (HCS). The IBDM SCS holds 3 guide petals with mechanical latches installed on the soft capture ring. The SCS is steered by 6 linear actuators (i.e. LEMAs) to allow the soft capture ring to move in 6 degrees of freedom, similar to a Stewart platform. The IBDM HCS ensures the structural attachment of the two vehicles by means of a set of 12 mechanical hooks (Hard Capture Hook Units). The IBDM also integrates the avionics boxes responsible for the control of both the SCS and HCS, by means of closed control loops comprising sensor data acquisition, algorithmic processing and actuator commanding phases.
During docking, the SCS platform is deployed and awaits for the target vehicle to approach. Following first contact detection, IBDM captures the target vehicle spacecraft by actively steering the SCS platform to align the mating interfaces and damping the relative motion. Then, the SCS is centered and retracted, bringing both hosting and target vehicles close together. Finally, hooks are closed ensuring hard mating and electrical connection are established. The tunnel is sealed and becomes the pressurized vestibule between the hosting vehicle and the target vehicle after mating.
This paper summarises the IBDM design, development and qualification, from the design inputs to full qualification. The IBDM qualification is described in detail, including activities to the qualification at component, equipment and finally at system level.
未来十年，我们将看到太空探索的繁荣，政府机构、国际合作和私人企业将共同致力于建立新的国际空间站，永久返回月球，并首次将人类带到火星。在这种情况下，泊位和对接机制起着至关重要的作用，因为它们是第一个接触点，是宇宙飞船之间的连接，也是每个宇航员从一个航天器移动到另一个航天器时要经过的大门。本文介绍了Redwire Space NV与SENER和BGC在欧空局项目下开发并验证的国际靠泊和对接机制（IBDM）。IBDM是一种雌雄同体的低冲击对接系统，能够对接和停泊大型和小型航天器。对接机构包括一个被称为软捕获系统（SCS）的主动力控平台和一个被称为硬捕获系统（HCS）的结构配合系统。IBDM SCS拥有3个引导花瓣，安装在软捕获环上的机械锁存器。SCS由6个线性致动器（即lema）控制，允许软捕获环在6个自由度内移动，类似于Stewart平台。IBDM HCS通过一组12个机械钩（硬捕获钩单元）确保两辆车的结构连接。IBDM还集成了负责控制SCS和HCS的航空电子设备箱，通过封闭的控制回路，包括传感器数据采集、算法处理和执行器命令阶段。在对接过程中，SCS平台被部署并等待目标飞行器接近。在首次接触检测之后，IBDM通过主动操纵SCS平台来对准配合接口并抑制相对运动来捕获目标飞行器航天器。然后，SCS集中并收缩，使宿主飞行器和目标飞行器靠近。最后，关闭挂钩，确保硬配合和电气连接建立。隧道密封，配合后成为承载车与目标车之间的加压前厅。本文总结了IBDM的设计、开发和鉴定，从设计输入到全面鉴定。详细描述了IBDM认证，包括组件、设备和系统级别的认证活动。
{"title":"Design, development and qualification of a european international berthing and docking mechanism (IBDM)","authors":"Joaquín Meléndez , Jeanette Bast , Johan Bogaerts , Jeremy Bouten , Angelo Costantino , Luc De Busser , Rutger De Nutte , Isabelle De Preter , Andy De Wilde , Felix De Wispelaere , Filip Dewitte , Wim Derkinderen , Bert Dobbelaere , Jürgen De Saedeleer , Peter Eichenberger , Nico Fleurinck , Hugo García , Herwig Hellinckx , Lennert Jans , Christophe Lauwerys , Óscar Gracia","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The next decade will see a boom of space exploration, with a mix of government agencies, international collaborations, and private ventures committed to establish new international space stations, return on permanent basis to the Moon and bring humanity for the first time to Mars. In this scenario, the berthing and docking mechanisms play an essential role, as they act as the first point of contact, the connection between spaceships, and the gate every astronaut will pass through when moving from one vehicle to the other.</div><div>This paper presents the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM) developed and qualified by Redwire Space NV together with SENER and BGC under an ESA project. IBDM is an androgynous low impact docking system that is capable of docking and berthing large and small spacecrafts. The docking mechanism comprises an actively force-controlled platform called the Soft Capture System (SCS), and a structural mating system called the Hard Capture System (HCS). The IBDM SCS holds 3 guide petals with mechanical latches installed on the soft capture ring. The SCS is steered by 6 linear actuators (i.e. LEMAs) to allow the soft capture ring to move in 6 degrees of freedom, similar to a Stewart platform. The IBDM HCS ensures the structural attachment of the two vehicles by means of a set of 12 mechanical hooks (Hard Capture Hook Units). The IBDM also integrates the avionics boxes responsible for the control of both the SCS and HCS, by means of closed control loops comprising sensor data acquisition, algorithmic processing and actuator commanding phases.</div><div>During docking, the SCS platform is deployed and awaits for the target vehicle to approach. Following first contact detection, IBDM captures the target vehicle spacecraft by actively steering the SCS platform to align the mating interfaces and damping the relative motion. Then, the SCS is centered and retracted, bringing both hosting and target vehicles close together. Finally, hooks are closed ensuring hard mating and electrical connection are established. The tunnel is sealed and becomes the pressurized vestibule between the hosting vehicle and the target vehicle after mating.</div><div>This paper summarises the IBDM design, development and qualification, from the design inputs to full qualification. The IBDM qualification is described in detail, including activities to the qualification at component, equipment and finally at system level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 604-614"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.007
Dezhou Hu , Runze Zhang , Junbai Song , Zhenqiang Wu , Zhanjun Wu , Lei Yang
Thermal insulation tiles constitute a critical component of reusable spacecraft thermal protection systems, with their structural integrity directly determining mission success and the safe return of the spacecraft. However, these tiles are highly susceptible to impact damage, posing significant risks to spacecraft performance. To understand the damage mechanism of multi-layer thermal insulation tile structures under low-velocity impact loading, this study conducts systematic experimental and simulation research on the thermal insulation tile assembly with a “heat insulation tile – strain isolation pad – cold structural metal plate” configuration. Drop-weight impact experiments were performed on the insulation tile assembly. Simultaneously, a refined finite element model was developed, incorporating the intrinsic material properties and interfacial relationships of each structural component. The simulation results accurately reproduced the energy absorption behavior and damage characteristics observed in the experiments. Specifically, the relative error of the absorbed energy is only 3.88%, while the errors of the crater diameter and depth are 6.06% and 1.23%, respectively. These small discrepancies confirm the reliability of the proposed numerical model. This research can provide crucial theoretical insights and technical support for optimizing the impact resistance performance of thermal protection systems in reusable spacecraft and evaluating their overall service performance.
{"title":"Low-velocity impact test and simulation of thermal protection system insulation tiles","authors":"Dezhou Hu , Runze Zhang , Junbai Song , Zhenqiang Wu , Zhanjun Wu , Lei Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.10.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermal insulation tiles constitute a critical component of reusable spacecraft thermal protection systems, with their structural integrity directly determining mission success and the safe return of the spacecraft. However, these tiles are highly susceptible to impact damage, posing significant risks to spacecraft performance. To understand the damage mechanism of multi-layer thermal insulation tile structures under low-velocity impact loading, this study conducts systematic experimental and simulation research on the thermal insulation tile assembly with a “heat insulation tile – strain isolation pad – cold structural metal plate” configuration. Drop-weight impact experiments were performed on the insulation tile assembly. Simultaneously, a refined finite element model was developed, incorporating the intrinsic material properties and interfacial relationships of each structural component. The simulation results accurately reproduced the energy absorption behavior and damage characteristics observed in the experiments. Specifically, the relative error of the absorbed energy is only 3.88%, while the errors of the crater diameter and depth are 6.06% and 1.23%, respectively. These small discrepancies confirm the reliability of the proposed numerical model. This research can provide crucial theoretical insights and technical support for optimizing the impact resistance performance of thermal protection systems in reusable spacecraft and evaluating their overall service performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 825-833"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.010
Logan Smith
The objective of this scoping review is to pool together all available information regarding suicide in the spaceflight environment in order to summarize the findings in an accessible way, present data in a manner that is useful, and identify the questions that are still unanswered in this field. The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews informed the procedures of this review. Identified terms were searched across the PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus databases, as well as the NASA Database Open Data Portal, yielding 6049 initial manuscripts, resulting in a final selection of 0 relevant manuscripts. Secondary targeted searches resulted in 12 manuscripts that mentioned suicide in the spaceflight environment in some way. The suicide risk presented by the spaceflight environment may be thought of as a combination of general suicide risk factors present in the general population that may also present in the spaceflight environment, and separate suicide risk factors that are unique to the spaceflight environment. Though suicide is not a widely discussed risk for future space missions, some researchers have acknowledged it as a significant concern that should be addressed. This scoping review serves as a starting point for future research efforts to better understand and mitigate the suicide risk of the spaceflight environment.
{"title":"Suicide risk and the spaceflight environment: A scoping review","authors":"Logan Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsse.2025.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this scoping review is to pool together all available information regarding suicide in the spaceflight environment in order to summarize the findings in an accessible way, present data in a manner that is useful, and identify the questions that are still unanswered in this field. The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews informed the procedures of this review. Identified terms were searched across the PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus databases, as well as the NASA Database Open Data Portal, yielding 6049 initial manuscripts, resulting in a final selection of 0 relevant manuscripts. Secondary targeted searches resulted in 12 manuscripts that mentioned suicide in the spaceflight environment in some way. The suicide risk presented by the spaceflight environment may be thought of as a combination of general suicide risk factors present in the general population that may also present in the spaceflight environment, and separate suicide risk factors that are unique to the spaceflight environment. Though suicide is not a widely discussed risk for future space missions, some researchers have acknowledged it as a significant concern that should be addressed. This scoping review serves as a starting point for future research efforts to better understand and mitigate the suicide risk of the spaceflight environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37283,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Space Safety Engineering","volume":"12 4","pages":"Pages 843-849"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145765839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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