Alejandro Manuel Gomez-Sanjuan

• Doctor of Engineering
• Profesor Axudante at University of Vigo

In this research a comprehensive thermal analysis and optimisation of a small size rover designed for operations at the lunar South Pole is presented as part of the ESA-funded AMPERS project. The rover is powered by solar panels and a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) and operates in an environment characterised by extremely low temperatu...

Lunar caves are subterranean wide and long tubes that could potentially host a human base. One of the key points in the future exploration of these caves is the communication network, which will allow to transmit the scientific data from the interior of the cave to the Moon surface. To establish a reliable link, an omnidirectional antenna, circular...

The exploration of the moon and its surface has emerged as a top priority for numerous space agencies, driven by the scientific and strategic significance of lunar missions. Rovers play a crucial role in lunar exploration, providing the necessary mobility to navigate and conduct experiments across the lunar terrain. One of the key challenges faced...

The combined use of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) alongside Solar Arrays (SAs) and batteries is a promising strategy for ensuring a reliable and sustainable power supply for space missions. While SAs harness sunlight when available, RTGs provide a continuous source of power regardless of the availability of sunlight. A battery provi...

Lunar caves are subterranean wide and long tubes that could potentially host a human base. These caves are expected to be stable, with small temperature variations and they can protect the base from micrometeorites. The entrance to these tubes, known as pit or skylight, is a small collapse with cliff-like vertical walls. In this work, the deploymen...

The exploration of the moon has emerged as a priority for space agencies, driven by the scientific and strategic significance of lunar missions. The surface and the subsurface through lava caves are both the main targets for those missions. Beyond its enigmatic beauty, the Moon serves as a unique celestial laboratory, offering insights into the ear...

The UPMSat-2 micro-satellite was launched on September the 3rd 2020 at 01:51:10 UTC from Kourou spaceport in French Guyana. The VV16 Vega Flight has been the first low Earth orbit rideshare commercial flight with a total of 53 satellites (7 of them micro-satellites) to be released by the launch vehicle, arranged in the modular SSMS (Small Spacecraf...

Correct thermal modelling is crucial for smallsats. They can experience higher variations of temperatures and their components usually have a lower range of safe operating temperatures, especially if they are COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf). This can make the thermal design more difficult and also, in certain aspects, very different when compared t...

In this paper the work carried out at the IDR/UPM Institute on photovoltaic devices' performance is outlined. The aim of the work is to demonstrate the possibilities of the mathematical procedures developed beyond the space applications, in order to show them to other industrial sectors. The work carried out at the IDR/UPM Institute have been drive...

Aims. This paper describes the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on the Solar Orbiter mission (SO/PHI), the first magnetograph and helioseis- mology instrument to observe the Sun from outside the Sun-Earth line. It is the key instrument meant to address the top-level science question: How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between...

Uncertainty calculation in spacecraft thermal control and design is generally performed using two methods: Statistical Error Analysis (SEA) and Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). These two methods present differences both in accuracy and in time of execution. Both features are compared in this paper, and the sources of possible divergence between their...

NOMAD is a spectrometer suite on board the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which launched in March 2016. NOMAD consists of two infrared channels and one ultraviolet and visible channel, allowing the instrument to perform observations quasi-constantly, by taking nadir measurements at the day- and night-side, and during solar occultations. H...

NOMAD is a spectrometer suite on board ESA’s ExoMars trace gas orbiter due for launch in January 2016. NOMAD consists of two infrared channels and one ultraviolet and visible channel allowing the instrument to perform observations quasi-constantly, by taking nadir measurements at dayside and nightside, and during solar occultations. In this paper,...