ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-11487
Open Date: 31/08/2022 16:39 CEST
Closing Date: 26/10/2022 13:00 CEST

Predicting environmental effects on the surface of airless bodies is not yet mature due to a severe lack of easily accessible in-situ observational data and experimental data targeting the physics and processes at stake. Simulating Lunar regolith charging, transport and interactions with surface assets is already accessible through dedicated tools as e.g. the Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software (dust version), based on the modelling of the physical processes leading to surface charging, tribo-charging, charged dust transport and collection by surface units. However interactions processes relying on dust adhesion combined with environmental factors have not been validated (or only partially). This activity aims at filling this gap, by defining and implementing a set of experiments, targeting reduced gravity (1/6 g, 1/3 g) in order to simulate and characterize, in representative environments, dust adhesion processes towards specific critical system parts and materials (e.g. thermal and optical coatings, mechanical parts). The activity encompasses the following tasks:- Review existing ground testing facilities allowing to simulate at least partially major environmental drivers (e.g. regolith analogs beds, illumination, plasma, vacuum, gravity and temperature)- Definite experiment requirements allowing to validate interaction processes parameters (e.g. adhesion laws parameters but not only)- Demonstrate through ground experiment and simulation the feasibility of in-flight validation)- Quantify actual uncertainties through experiments simulations and comparison with produced test data- Demonstrate of the methodology relevance the in-flight data can lead to enhance validation including the reduced gravity parameters- Propose improvement of existing numerical modelsAs a mandatory aspect the experiments are defined to allow to characterize charge build up and dissipation times as a function of selected environmental conditions, parameters related to adhesion forces and all other relevant forces.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to this link.

Estabilishment: ESTEC
ECOS Required: No
Classified: No
Price Range: 200-500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Christophe Rene R. Seynaeve
Initiating Service: TEC-EPS
IP Measure: C1
Prog. Reference: E/0901-01 - Technology Developme
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+BE+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+GR+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LU+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE
Technology Keywords: 4-B-II-Ground and Space Effects Investigations
Products Keywords: 2-M-2-b-Other