The success of Polish engineers. Solar sail with ESA award

The “Golden Fleece” project has won a prestigious competition "Space Exploration Masters" organized by the European Space Agency. Proposed by engineers from ABM Space, Amepox and the Warsaw University of Technology, the smart solar sail concept could significantly reduce the cost of future exploration missions.

Award in the competition "Space Exploration Masters" is a significant achievement of Polish engineersow. The award was given in the category of "ZroThe launch was accompanied by the development ofoj in space exploration". „Golden Fleece” is the concept of intelligent solar sails, whichore could fuel future interplanetary missions. Their active structure could provide increased efficiency and enable partial integration of the electronics of future shipsoIn space with a sail base.

The authors have proposed a rather original solution. The target production method involves coating with nanophase materials extracted straight from asteroids. The coating technologies are to be adapted to the conditions of theoin the prevailing conditions in space. It significantly reduces the cost of space exploration. It also reduces the weight of the vehicleow. Such technology could be successfully used by unmanned exploration probes.

Submitted by Polakow solution currently has no chance of realization, because we simply do not have such technologies, but as ABM Space vice president Mateusz J pointed out in an interview with PAPozefowicz, such concepts are driving development. – We were the first in the world to propose such a practical application for raw materialow, whichore are located on asteroids. So far goSpace mining was a promising concept, but lacked concrete applications. From here it leads by a lot krotighter way to develop missing technologies for mining, extraction and printing of metals in space – said Jozefowicz.

Supportolny project of Polish engineersow obtained, according to company representatives, excellent circuit printing parametersoin and applying metallic coatings to the sail. It also gained the interest and support of the giantow – Airbus and German company Merck. The authors of the project were also invited to Dubai for the X-Innovation Summit, ktory will take place later this November.

„Our laureate is engaged in roimportant areas of space exploration – From space manufacturing, 2D and 3D printing, to flexible electronics, coatings or photovoltaics. We are confident that the support of expertsoat Airbus and Merck will help take the project to the next level. The smart sail concept will be developed in accelerator programs at our companies" – Merck and Airbus representatives wrote in a statement.