Presented at 20th European Space Mechanisms And Tribology Symposium (ESMATS), Warsaw, September 2023
Engineers considering use of a fluid lubricant typically select from a few very long-established products that combine attractive characteristics and seemingly low risk due to prior flight “heritage”.
The requirements of new missions, the impact of environmental legislation on products and processes, plus the availability of promising new chemistries suggest that new-to-space lubricants may be more frequently considered in coming years. This paper introduces new guidelines, which aim to provide clarity concerning ESA’s expectations for those who may in future choose to employ a new fluid lubricant in a space mechanism intended for flight qualification.
Full paper available here