The possibility of accessing space has not only changed the way we live on Earth, but also opens up endless opportunities for the future of science and technology. However, the aerospace industry has a significant environmental impact, especially in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2018, this sector accounted for around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions, although if we consider effects not directly related to CO2, such as contrails, the contribution of this industry to global warming could represent up to 4%. These data, added to the growth expectations of the sector, underline the need to develop sustainable solutions that allow minimizing the impact of the aerospace industry on the environment.

Space and biotechnology: a connection with great potential

Among the possibilities that access to Space gives us, working in microgravity conditions enables improved characteristics for the biotechnology sector in procedures such as the crystallization of compounds or the growth of crops. The connection between these two areas opens up new opportunities to develop advanced biotechnology products, such as some compounds used against cancer.

To carry out this work in orbit, it is necessary to use advanced space vehicles capable of operating in Space and returning to Earth.

Therefore, propulsion is a crucial element to guarantee the operation and development of the missions of this type of vehicle, since thrusters with precise response capabilities, versatile in terms of performance and easy to integrate into various configurations are needed; in addition to using green propellants (to replace hydrazine, a highly toxic fuel commonly used in industry).

PES 3D II: a project to address these challenges

In this sense, the PES 3D II project focuses on green space propulsion through additive manufacturing. An initiative focused on the research and development of space propulsion systems with sustainable fuels, based on additive manufacturing with advanced alloys for orbital return vehicles with the aim of enabling biotechnological research in microgravity.

With the aim of advancing this research, the aforementioned project has been presented in phase II to the Support Program for Innovative Business Groups 2024 (AEI) of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism of the Government of Spain, through a consortium formed by five partners who complement each other to achieve the set objectives.

In this sense, the MAV Cluster has been the applicant AEI of the aforementioned consortium formed by Pangea Aerospace, developers of advanced propulsion systems for the aerospace industry, Aenium, specialized in research and industrialization of components using laser additive manufacturing technology and materials engineering, Orbital Paradigm, which develops and operates reusable capsules for return from orbit to Earth, and AseBio, the Spanish association of biocompanies, as a participating AEI.

In this call, a total of 313 projects have been submitted for an amount of 60 million euros. In the final resolution, 48 proposals have been approved for an amount of 13.7 million euros and a subsidy of 9.7 million euros. In the case of the PES 3D II project, it should be noted that it occupies the sixth position with a budget of 280,717 euros and a subsidy of 224,571 euros.

Towards the search for future green solutions for the aerospace ecosystem

The second phase of the PES 3D project has as its mission industrial research to provide the aerospace ecosystem with a portfolio of future green solutions through metal additive manufacturing in combination with advanced, accessible and flexible materials for multiple types of missions.

This is a project that manages to create an entire value chain of companies and clusters in areas as far apart as advanced materials.