EPJ ST Special Issue: Space Manufacturing: Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing

Details

Published on 17 June 2024

Guest Editors: Aloke Kumar, Ranajay Ghosh, Seetha Raghavan

Space travel and habitation have taken a renewed vigour in the last few years, spurred by new scientific and commercial breakthroughs in launch vehicles, satellites, payload capabilities and superior ground testing research. Militaries and industries worldwide have joined and reinforced these trends for their missions with multiple new space agencies and mandates set up over the last few years. This has ignited an international race towards exploring all potential applications and uses of the extra-terrestrial environment, ranging from using the space environment for deploying powerful instrument platforms to entirely new concepts on extra-terrestrial production chains. An explosion of new scientific research has accompanied this ‘return to space’ movement. In particular, space manufacturing represents a convergence of various disciplines, including materials science, biology, biophysics, mechanics, and fabrication. It encompasses a spectrum of endeavours, from terrestrial manufacturing for the new space age to in-orbit assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) and manufacturing for sustainable space settlements. Realizing the potential of space manufacturing demands dedicated research efforts in the years to come. The scope of space manufacturing is vast and encompasses numerous possibilities. Space habitats, for instance, could be constructed using materials fabricated in space, tailored to withstand the rigours of cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Moreover, the field holds promise for advancements in space medicine, including producing organs and tissues through bioprinting techniques adapted for extra-terrestrial environments. In-orbit manufacturing presents unique challenges and opportunities. It requires the development of autonomous fabrication systems capable of operating in microgravity/low-gravity conditions, utilizing resources available in space, such as those already sent in orbit, regolith or even asteroid mining. Additionally, manufacturing in space for terrestrial applications could revolutionize industries on Earth, offering novel solutions to pressing challenges. Looking ahead, space manufacturing will necessitate interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained research investment. It represents a technological feat and a crucial step toward establishing a sustainable human presence beyond Earth.

The issue is broadly aimed to cover the following relevant topics and other ancillary scientific activities:

• In situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and In Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM)
• Inflatables, lightweight materials and meta materials for Space
• Fluid dynamics and other transport processes in microgravity and space environment
• Advanced coatings for space application
• Bio and bio-hybrid manufacturing advanced manufacturing
• Biological payloads
• Science of human habitation in space
• Space and planetary dust mitigation strategies

We invite the authors to submit their original research articles and review papers on "Space Manufacturing: Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing".

Articles should be submitted to the Editorial Office of EPJ ST via the submission system, and should be clearly identified as intended for the topical issue “ Space Manufacturing: Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing ”.

Submissions should follow the guidelines of EPJ Special Topics, which can be found here. For the preparation of the manuscripts a special latex template (preferably single-column layout) is available here.

Guest Editors:

Aloke Kumar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ranajay Ghosh , Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Seetha Raghavan , Department of Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Daytona, FL, USA, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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