Smart Resource Management based on Internet of Things to support off-Earth manufacturing of lunar infrastructures (SMARTIE)
March 2021 – November 2021
European Space Agency (ESA) project
SMARTIE is an inclusive feasibility study analysing the requirements for future network infrastructures considering items such as data management and budget to exploit and optimize Moon Factories Management and available resources to assure high-grade self-sustainability.
The SMARTIE concept connects the following critical technologies and processes to advance a sustainable exploration scenario:
- Off-Earth Additive Manufacturing machineries
- Off-Earth recycling processes & storage systems for end-of-life products and in-situ materials
- Qualitative and quantitative assessment of off-Earth resources
- Off-Earth logistics and navigation systems
An Off-Earth manufacturing architecture based on a combination of 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT) could provide the smart and efficient management of available resources for long-term survival of both crew and technological assets in harsh space environments. Current industrial developments in intelligence and data processing can be applicable to off-Earth construction, with the potential to streamline manufacturing processes, and devise novel material solutions for printing off-Earth items, valuable to both autonomous building operations and mission crewmembers.
Consortium partners LIQUIFER Systems Group – Austria / OHB SYSTEM AG – Germany / SPARTAN SPACE C/o Bc ESPACE ENTERPRISE – France / Azimut Space GmbH – Germany / Zühlke Engineering GmBH – Austria
LIQUIFER team Waltraut Hoheneder, Barbara Imhof, René Waclavicek, Bob Davenport, Chris Gilbert
Image credit: Credit: SMARTIE Consortium, visualisation: LIQUIFER Systems Group 2020
Animation credit: SMARTIE Consortium, animation: hertha produziert motion content, 2021