ESA : Recently concluded activities to validate innovative technologies for space

15 October 2007 ESA’s Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI) is an opportunity for European Industry and Academia to validate their new ideas for Space. Every year, ESA organises a ITI Final Presentations Day (FPD) event where the entities involved in recently concluded ITI activities are invited to present the results of their work to an audience that includes industry colleagues, interested ESA experts and delegations. This year the ITI FPD will occur on 16 and 17 October in ESTEC. The draft Agenda foresees the presentation of 17 ITI activities covering many different domains from electrical to mechanical including new materials and software. Just two examples:

Current mote size SSTL (UK) will present their results on an activity entitled - "Wireless sensor motes for on-board networking and inter-satellite communications", whose scope was to "Establish the feasibility of adapting free standing compact wireless sensor packages or "motes" for communication between spacecraft subsystems (harness reduction) and ultimately between small low cost spacecraft flying in formation or an ad-hoc swarm (ultra-low power inter-satellite networking)".

Schematic cut-through of the experimental assembly The “Ionic Liquid Ion Source Array for Electrical Propulsion” developed by EPFL is an interesting candidate for low thrust propulsion system in interferometric missions and as attitude or orbit control system on small satellites. Based on an array of electrospray thruster systems, ideal for miniaturization using micromachining technologies, these emitters are capable of generating thrust in the range from micro- to millinewtons.

About ITI The objective of the Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI) is to foster the fast introduction of disruptive innovations into any technical domain of the European space industry by combining the creativity, know-how and experience of the research community and industry with the end customers. ITI is based on the ‘Innovation Triangle’ concept, which states that the rapid and successful introduction of disruptive innovations in industry requires the collaboration of three different entities: a customer, a developer and an inventor.

Current status For 2007, the ITI Announcement of Opportunity was published on 5 April in EMITS (reference AO/1-5403/07/NL/CB). Currently the ITI Evaluation Board is conducting the third and last evaluation round within 2007. ITI was launched in 2004. Since then, 81 contracts have been placed with a total value of €7.5 million. ITI promotes spin-in, meaning that innovations originating from non-space industrial or research sectors are particularly welcome.