MCAST'S Aerospace Program in Malta: An Overview of Technological Advancements and International Collaborations

Abstract

The Aerospace Program at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is a research and development program that focuses on addressing challenges in the aerospace industry, in particular, but not exclusively, in the field of protection of aerospace structures and systems from space debris impacts. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the program, including five main projects currently under development. The first project presents a collaboration between MCAST and the University of Padova to develop a single-stage Light-Gas Gun impact facility in Malta, with operational ranges which could be complementary to other impact laboratories in Europe. The second project focuses on the study of 3D-printed Kevlar shields for aerospace applications; the outcome of this project will be the development of repair strategies for aviation structures and efficient novel small satellite shields. The third project addresses the issue of fragmentation of brittle materials for aerospace following a hypervelocity impact. The fourth project presents MCAST's participation in Malta's third space bioscience experiment, led by the University of Malta, the experiment investigated how microgravity affects the behavior of foot ulcer microbiomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients. Finally, the paper discusses the ASTROBEAT project, that will be on board of the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone for the MCAST aerospace program; the project results from a collaboration with the South East Technological University (SETU), Ireland, and aims to explore the application of the cold-welding phenomenon for spacecraft repair. It will lead to the development of an experimental test rig to apply custom repair patches of different materials to pre-damaged metallic structures and monitor its performance. The projects presented in this paper reflect MCAST's commitment to contribute to the advancement of the aerospace industry and offer new opportunities for research, development, and commercialization. Furthermore, the importance of the MCAST Aerospace Program is relevant since Malta in 2024 will upgrade its status in the framework of the ESA Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS).