SpaceCarbon aims to develop European-based carbon fibres (CF) and pre-impregnated materials for launchers and satellite applications, enabling a European supply chain that is capable to reduce the dependency of the European Space sector on this critical Space technology and, therefore, reducing the risk of stopping future Space programmes, due to supply restriction and shortage of these materials from non-European sources. SpaceCarbon is expected to create the capacity in Europe to produce specialty CF products, and related intermediate products, by promoting the development of industrial and research facilities in these products and contributing to improve Europe’s worldwide competitiveness in the field of high performance Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) structures. In SpaceCarbon, it is objective to develop the semi-industrial manufacturing process for Intermediate Modulus (IM) CF (starting at TRL 6 and aimed to achieve TRL 8), targeting mainly launcher applications, and to improve the properties of the previously obtained High Modulus (HM) CF (starting at TRL 4) aiming at reaching a modulus in the range of 440 to 540 GPa at TRL 6. These properties will allow to enter in the range of HM CF products that are used in satellite sub-system applications. Moreover, the prepregs manufacturing process will be developed at semi-industrial scale to make possible to provide such materials at short-term to European Space End-users and to develop new prepreg formulations at lab scale, in view of enhancing composites performance for future Space missions. New testing methods will be developed to support the development and qualification of such materials, according to Space environment requirements. Finally, the design, manufacturing and testing of launcher and satellite sub-component demonstrators will be performed with the developed SpaceCarbon materials to validate their possible use at short and mid-term for Spacecraft structures.

The main goal of this project is the development of an industrial “plug & play” system for additive layer manufacturing which is based on a blown powder process using Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA) Technology. The developed 4M System will offer: a) Simple equipment concept based on well established PTA technology for hard facing coatings b) Possibility to realize Multi-Material concepts c) Suitability of the technology to be used for a wide range of raw materials d) High deposition/building rates e) Possibility to realize large size components (up to 1,5 m x 1,5 m in the first version) Within the project the system will be developed to be used for wo different materials (Al and Ti-alloys) and to demonstrate one multi-material concept. The developed process will be used to realize three different demonstrators (case studies) and to perform testing of the manufactured prototypes under space relevant testing conditions.