A 40 cm square Cassandra demonstrator test sample.
Healable spacecraft structures could soon be possible thanks to cutting-edge composite technology. Swiss companies CompPair and CSEM with Belgian company Com&Sens have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to modify their self-healing carbon fibre product for use in space transportation.
Project Cassandra (a loose abbreviation of Composite Autonomous SenSing AnD RepAir) includes sensors and a heating element into a composite carbon-fibre material, allowing spacecraft to autonomously repair initial stages of damage .
Cassandra is part of ESA’s Future Innovation Research in Space Transportation (FIRST!) Initiative which is finding and testing innovative technology that will benefit European space transportation.
A prototype of the composite structure was created by integrating a network of fibre-optic sensors into HealTech’s resin-imbued fibres. The sensors pinpoint any damage to the structure. Once spotted, the material is heated through integrated 3D-printed aluminium grids to 100–140°C.
Various samples of the material ranging from 2×10 cm to 40×40 cm have undergone testing. The tests focused on the efficacy of the material’s damage monitoring, homogenous heating and self-repair abilities. Additionally, thermal shock tests were conducted to monitor the response of the material to the typical conditions of a cryogenic tank.
[Image description: hands in blue lab gloves holding up a black square with two wires sticking out to the left on a white background.]