When GSE becomes equally demanding as the light weight structure: A soft cover for the EUCLID baffle.
- Paper number
IAC-20,C2,2,2,x57529
- Author
Mrs. Malika De Ridder, Belgium, QinetiQ Space nv
- Year
2020
- Abstract
The Euclid satellite has probably the biggest baffle that has ever been built for a space project. With a diameter of 1,8m and a top height of 2,4m, it encloses the large telescope ensuring straylight protection. If that would be its only purpose, the baffle would be made with curved honeycomb structures. For Euclid however, the baffle serves also as a radiator. Up to 24 thermal straps can be connected to the bottom part of the baffle, where the aluminum has a thickness of 2,3mm. For a total baffle weight below 60kg, about 2/3rd of the upper structure has a thickness of 0,4mm. With an external stiffener structure this baffle has been fully optimized towards thermal performance, stiffness and mass. To maintain the cleanliness inside the baffle, a protection cover is mounted onto the inclined top surface for storage and handling. Perfect for all unit testing, but once the telescope is mounted inside, the cleanliness becomes utterly important. Can the 15kg protection cover be used during vibration and acoustic tests? No, the cover will survive, but the baffle would be destroyed, a clear drawback of optimization. So what is possible? During the design, margin is added to ensure the safety factors and reduce risk. Once the hardware is ready, actual values can be measured and the remaining margins can be released. In this case, to release a mass budget of about 2 kg for the design of a soft cover. With cleanliness control as its main purpose, the gap between the baffle and the soft cover needed to be smaller than 1mm. A serious challenge when combined with few mounting interfaces and high structural loads. The most difficult aspect however was not the design of the cover. Analyzing the potential impact of a soft cover on the baffle structure was the main driver for design iterations. Protection of the flight hardware is the main purpose of this GSE, but the development has been equally meticulous as for the flight hardware itself. Meanwhile, STM testing has confirmed that the soft cover can survive all the loadcases without interferences with the baffle.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)