Among the technologies we have been presented as the ESA Technology Broker UK is a light gas gun platform created by Oxford-based First Light Fusion. Building upon their heritage in fusion science, First Light Fusion have developed a suite of experimental and computational platforms designed to reproduce and study matter under extreme conditions.
This includes a set of single and two-stage light gas guns and world-class data science and simulation capabilities, providing the generation, measurement, and modelling of high-energy-density environments relevant to both terrestrial and space applications.
The light gas guns created by First Light Fusion can accelerate projectiles to hypervelocity, enabling controlled impact experiments and allowing for the investigation of shock physics, material response at high strain rates, and the effects of micrometeoroid or orbital debris collisions.
Such studies are of particular importance to the space sector, where spacecraft structures, shielding concepts, and payload components must be validated against impact and fragmentation scenarios.
As a complement to the physical experiments, First Light Fusion provide sophisticated data science and simulation capabilities such as predictive models for impact dynamics, hydrodynamic behaviour, and material performance under stress.
By combining experiments with high-fidelity computational analysis allows for the rapid iteration of designs and validation against real-world data, supporting both technology development and mission assurance.
Potential Applications
The potential applications for this technology include the validation of spacecraft shielding against micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts, the development of simulation frameworks to predict spacecraft survivability and performance under extreme conditions, and the support of planetary defence and exploration missions requiring modelling of high-velocity impact events.
By uniting physical testing and computational modelling, this technology provides a comprehensive capability to investigate critical challenges in the design, validation, and protection of space systems.
Find Out More:
You can find out more about this technology, including a number of benefits, advantages and innovations, here: https://www.esa-technology-broker.co.uk/technologies/light-gas-gun-platform-for-micrometeoroid-debris-impact-testing
If you would like to explore this technology further for potential applications, please get in touch with us by emailing contactus@esa-technology-broker.co.uk.