Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela
Universidad Central de Venezuela team. Credit: Universidad Central de Venezuela
"The space sector presents itself as an unquestionable driver of a country's economic and social development by bringing together a variety of disciplines, scientific and technological innovations, and a diversity of high-value-added industries. Being the awardee for the 9th round of the DropTES program is a milestone of a long trip that started with the HyperGES and the Institute for Materials and Structural Models (IMME-UCV) and its crystallization in a collaboration between the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) and the Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales (ABAE). Two years later, the Faculty of Engineering is doing research on space-related topics, developing a top-level academic and research ecosystem, and having the unique opportunity to establish a sustainable and long-term national space sector that will guarantee Venezuela's permanent involvement in the international space arena." said Rogelio Morales García , Associate Vice-President of Macau University of Science and Technology.
AWARDS
DropTES
As part of the push for a new space economy, which requires the production of shelters, equipment, spare parts, and other infrastructure, national space agencies and commercial enterprises seek to create complex space infrastructure in low orbit and on the lunar surface. One of the production processes that can play a significant role in accomplishing these objectives is welding. However, only a very small amount of research has been done on welding techniques in lunar or space environments. Understanding the behavior of welding in microgravity and vacuum conditions could imply a new paradigm in space exploration, allowing new ways to approach outer space infrastructure construction. In this regard, the DropTES provides a special testing setting for investigating the impact of microgravity on the microstructural behavior of aluminum welding.
News
- United Nations Press Release:
Team from Universidad de Central Venezuela selected for DropTES programme to test production processes in microgravity
(31 January 2024)