Radiation-Shielding Experimental Module (RSEM) By TakeMe2Space, India
Mission Objective with POEM
RSEM is a module to test the effectiveness of Tantalum (Ta) coating for radiation shielding in space. Satellite builders today are dependent on radiation-hardened electronic components which has 60-90 weeks lead time and also 10x the cost of nonhardened components. The coating developed by TakeMe2Space would hence help satellite builders to reduce cost of the electronics and faster development cycles. TakeMe2Space is excited to partner with ISRO to test our coating. ISRO’s POEM is fast and most cost-effective platform that enables start-ups to test & validate space ideas. TakeMe2Space is using this opportunity to validate if the coating works in vacuum of space and measure the coating-thickness to radiation-protection property.
Advantages of Radiation Shielding
With TakeMe2Space’s proprietary recipe to develop the thick and dense coating of Tantalum on Aluminium, it has direct impact on the following sectors:
- Satellite builders can coat the chassis and extend the mission lifetime of their satellites.
- STEM students and universities who are building experimental space missions have tight budgets, hence a radiation shielding coating would be the most effective way to build a satellite and yet aim for a longer mission lifespan.
Based on the data received from the POEM mission, TakeMe2Space is further working towards developing various Tantalum tapes which can just be pasted on the satellite chassis for the protection. This would make it easier for satellite builders to just apply tape to the chassis and enable radiation protection.
How RSEM works?
RSEM has 4 dosimeters which measures the TID (Total Ionisation Dose) inside each housing. Each housing has different Ta coating thickness. More details of the RSEM can be found here.
The above image shows the cross-section of the coating. TakeMe2Space’s coating method ensures a dense (non-porous) growth of coat and no delamination.
About TakeMe2Space
TakeMe2Space is a Hyderabad based space tech start-up which aims to build a satellite based orbital infrastructure open for all. Hence, it’s important to reduce the costs of building the satellite hardware, without compromising the mission lifespan. TakeMe2Space has developed a novel way of developing thick radiation shielding coating on top of Aluminium. Partners like stemorks and University of Hyderabad were crucial to bring RSEM into fruition. ISRO via the POEM provided the fastest and most cost effective way to validate the coating in space.