Printable Spacecraft: Flexible Electronic Platforms for NASA Missions

In this report, we have documented the findings of the Phase One task entitled Printable Spacecraft. We met the goals set forth in the task proposal and plan to extend the activities further in the recently awarded Phase Two task. In this report we provided a general overview of the industry and the commercial applications of printed electronics. We assessed the potential applications to scientific missions and engineering applications. We provided a brief evaluation of the state of the art in industry for the functional areas required on a printed spacecraft. We considered key technology advancements that are critical for NASA applications and offered areas where NASA may play a vital role. Finally, we candidly acknowledged the potential limitations and risks of a printed spacecraft. Several critical conclusions were reached that were speculative at the start of the project. These have been revealed through the material in this report but are summarized below. 1. The idea of designing and manufacturing an end to end spacecraft from printed electronics is within reach for the industry. A spacecraft represents the high end of integrated systems being considered today, and near term platforms would need to be architected in a way compatible with the existing state of the art. But within a ten year horizon, increased functionality is guaranteed. 2. Materials development is the most critical aspect in this field. It impacts the performance of devices, survivability in environments and manufacturability. NASA should stay aware of new developments and invest in NASA unique or critical developments as the cornerstone of new spacecraft capabilities. 3. Product development by industry is driven by commercial viability. Investment in certain key technologies may be delayed, stymied or even dropped due to the inability to be cost effective. NASA would need to provide sufficiently strong product pull to continue development by industry and academia in the technologies that may prove most valuable for NASA applications. 4. Much like in industry, the application of printed electronics to science missions must compete on its value proposition. What can it do cheaper, better, uniquely? Mission architecting and programmatic trades have to be part of the decision making process for when and how to apply printed systems to a science mission. Up until that point, opportunities abound for lab developments and low risk/low cost flight demonstrations of printed platforms. 5. NASA's must focus critical attention on the three things that will likely never be inherited from the printed electronics industry: spacecraft system design, space environments compatibility, and scientifically valuable instruments and sensors.