Space Applications Services procured components for a space project.

Recently Wevolver partner FACTUREE provided over 50 components to an ongoing space project called LUVMI, the Lunar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation. LUVMI is a smart, modular, and scalable platform that can accommodate payloads and provide mobility on the moon and is being developed by Space Application Services NV/SA.

The company specializes in system and software development, providing services for the European Space Agency (ESA), national space agencies, and the aerospace industry. They have headquarters in the Brussels region and a subsidiary, Aerospace Applications North America, in Houston. The company provides international solutions and technologies to advance areas such as spacecraft, earth observation, science and exploration, and communication.

The mission of LUVMI is to search for water and other volatiles, scoping out the lunar environment in support of the establishment of a lunar economy and of future human missions to the Moon and beyond.

LUVMI-X is the next phase of the LUVMI concept, which developed mobile instrumentation to analyse traces of volatiles in regions of the Moon in perpetual darkness. A mobile system comprising state of the art instruments and a robotic platform was designed, and a prototype was built and tested successfully.

Building on the success of its predecessor, LUVMI-X  focuses on the design of a mobile platform with standardised instrument interfaces, featuring cutting-edge payloads able to feature cutting-edge instruments able to analyse volatiles remotely, and others that measure radiation. The rover will have room for custom instruments that other scientists may wish to send to the Moon in the near future.

Dr.-Ing. Torsten Siedel says, “The LUVMI rover is suitable for use in the polar regions of the moon. Among other things, it can remotely deploy and recover cube payloads and explore volatile elements and other resources. FACTUREE has supplied over 50 components for the mobile platform, including prototypes.”

Space Applications Services highly prioritizes the aerospace sector, ensuring quality and reliable service for this sensitive area through initializing complex components for prototyping—also known as space qualification models.

“We had to rethink our procurement approach for these components because the previous supplier no longer met our expectations in terms of reliable material quality, delivery times, and prices,” Dr.-Ing. Torsten Siedel, Project Manager at Space Applications Services NV/SA, explains.

“We then conducted extensive research into suppliers and decided to collaborate with FACTUREE.”

The FACTUREE network extends to 2000 manufacturing partners, covering areas of CNC machining, metal processing, surface tech, and 3D printing. 

Engineers of the Space Applications Services send drawings with 3D data to FACTUREE, which generated a quote. Once placed and delivered, the ordered parts underwent quality checking at the Space Applications Services. We then implements reworking if necessary. We also selected the most suitable manufacturer and handled the entire process as it is the lone involved contract provider.

“FACTUREE has supplied us with high-quality CNC-machined parts for various applications and projects for more than two years now. In addition to the high quality, we appreciate the fast delivery times and attractive pricing. The professional, uncomplicated communication also allows us to solve problems quickly, again underscoring the reliability,” shares Dr.-Ing. Torsten Siedel.