Swiss scientists X-ray satellite to build better reusable designs

Swiss researchers at Empa’s Center for X-Ray Analytics have conducted a comprehensive X-ray analysis of the EUropean REtrievable CArrier (EURECA), a reusable satellite launched by NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1992 and returned to Earth intact in 1993. Collaborating with the Swiss Space Center and the Swiss Museum of Transport, the team used high-energy X-rays to non-destructively image the entire satellite, revealing defects such as cracks in composite struts and fractures in scientific instruments. Their findings, published in Acta Astronautica, span from structural to nanometer-scale material investigations. This study is significant in the context of increasing interest in reusable space technologies, as nearly 15,000 satellites orbit Earth, many launched via partially reusable rockets like SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The researchers believe their X-ray method can identify weak points in satellites caused by space radiation, temperature fluctuations, and micrometeoroid impacts, thereby informing more durable designs. They