Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives

The Long-term Investigation of Zero-gravity, vAcuum, and RaDiation effects on geckomaterials (LIZARD) payload is aimed at researching the effects of the space environment on Microstructured Dry Adhesives (MDA). MDA are elastomers with microstructured surfaces offering a promising solution for space applications. Their resilience to vacuum and temperature fluctuations was confirmed in past studies, but the impact of ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, as well as combined effects on their adhesive properties remains largely unknown. The LIZARD payload marks the first testing of MDA in real space conditions. A key focus during development was the pragmatic use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components without compromising reliability. This paper details the challenging environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), COTS component selection and verification processes for the payloads deployment aboard the 12U AIOTY-CUBE satellite. A SPENVIS simulation determined that the majority of components will receive a total dose of 1.538 krad during the one-year mission. A total ionizing dose test was conducted at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. Critical components were subjected to 𝛾-radiation doses of up to 12 krad. All flight components passed the test unharmed. An ST890 MOSFET in the power supply of the designated microcontroller’s development board failed; presumably due to excessive charge build-up in its gate oxide, rendering it permanently damaged. AIOTY-CUBE’s lack of active stabilization necessitated an illumination test. If the satellite is adversely oriented, incoming sunlight significantly affects the built-in cameras’ image exposure. Adjusting the image exposure accordingly was found to remedy the effect reliably, ensuring accurate data collection and unaffected performance of image analysis tools. Redundancies for microcontrollers, non-volatile memory and file systems are foreseen to further enhance mission reliability. The conducted tests confirmed that the design decisions and component selection have resulted in operational hardware capable of enduring the rigorous conditions encountered in LEO.