THE ADAPTER AND SEPARATION SYSTEMS SERIES FOR THE VEGA LAUNCH VEHICLE

摘要

The VEGA Maiden Flight represents an important milestones in the market of micro/mini-satellites in view ofthe possibility to operate a dedicated launch vehicle exclusively for low mass spacecrafts. In addition to the LARESsatellite, main payload of the VEGA Maiden Flight, eight secondary passengers were embarked, among which theALMASat-1 microsatellite, an educational project entirely developed by students and researchers of theMicrosatellites and Space Microsystems Lab of the University of Bologna in Forlì, with the technical support of itsspin-off company ALMASpace.In the frame of the ALMASat-1 mission, ALMASpace has been in charge of the design, manufacturing, testingand qualification for launch of the ALMASat-1 ADapter and Separation System (AD-SS), that will retain thespacecraft during the early launch phases and will provide the correct separation dynamics once the separationcommand will be given by the onboard avionics. The device is based on a classical 2-clamps architecture, providingfor the satellite release by means of two Non-Explosive Actuators (NEA) instead of pyrotechnic bolts, and for thecorrect detachment by four calibrated separation springs.The ALMASpace AD-SS has been sized and successively qualified for the launch according to the VEGArequirements and the standard ECSS procedure, therefore being hitherto the real benchmark for future missionsonboard the VEGA flights for satellites up to 35 kg.In order to extend the ALMASpace AD-SS capabilities to larger spacecraft, the European Space Agency hasundertaken an activity aimed at the development and qualification of a wider series of products, achieving the goal ofsupporting satellites missions up to 200 kg, thanks to an overall set of different AD-SS models (up to AD-SS 200,according to the maximum allowed spacecraft mass of 200kg). The main goal of ALMASpace activities is to achievea short delivery time in order to strictly follow the future VEGA launches schedule, starting immediately with thenext VERTA-1 mission.Technological and functional improvements were introduced in the design and manufacturing workflow, beingevaluated by means of dedicated numerical and experimental tools as well as by dedicated test campaigns.This paper presents the results of the design and MAIT phases, started in late 2011, aimed at the completion ofthree different models of ALMASpace AD-SS and their delivery to ESA for the integration on the next VERTA-1mission, currently scheduled in early 2013.