Initiative Seeks Input on Artificial Gravity Orbital Platform

An initiative intends to start a comparison with the scientific and technological community to collect needs, ideas and possible use cases for a future infrastructure.

The orbital platform is described as able to generate controlled levels of artificial gravity.

The reference scenario calls for small-scale experiments using payloads of a few CubeSat units.

The experiments would be fully automated and could operate for prolonged periods at different gravity levels, including levels characteristic of the Moon and Mars.

The platform could offer new opportunities for scientific research and technological development and is described as able to generate controlled levels of artificial gravity.

Future Moon, Mars and other planetary-body missions are said to require deeper knowledge of behavior in non-Earth gravity.

Areas of possible interest include life sciences; fluids and multiphase phenomena; materials and production processes; and technologies for planetary exploration. The list is not exhaustive.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, the effort targets behavior in non-Earth gravity, a knowledge need for future Moon, Mars and planetary-body missions.

A platform able to produce controlled gravity levels, including those of the Moon and Mars, could support research and technology development tied to that need.

A First Call is meant to gather further themes, experimental needs and proposals.

Expressions of interest will contribute to orienting event organization, and the event is to be followed by comparison with the community and an evaluation of scientific and technological potential.