The space industry is deemed vast and is understood as the economic sector which provides space-related goods and services. Specifically, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Space Economics defines space economy as:
“All public and private actors involved in developing and providing space-enabled products and services. It comprises a long value-added chain, starting with research and development actors and manufacturers of space hardware (e.g. launch vehicles, satellites, ground stations) and ending with the providers of space-enabled products (e.g. navigation equipment, satellite phones) and services (e.g. satellite-based meteorological services or direct-to-home video services) to final users.”
Space applications hold significant importance in the everyday life as utilization of space and satellite technologies enable weather forecasting, air traffic control, global communications and broadcasting, disaster management, etc.
The space economy has evolved from the aerospace industry, and to date, the two still share various aspects, components as well as technologies (e.g., space launchers being modified guided missiles).
The aerospace industry encompasses the manufacture of wide ranging aircraft and spacecraft products, and space-related items such as the following:
- Passenger military aeroplanes
- Helicopters
- Gliders
- Spacecraft
- Launch vehicles
- Satellites
Cleanrooms were initially developed for aerospace applications to facilitate in the manufacture and assembly of gyroscopes, precision ball bearings, satellites and aerospace electronics. This is because even a miniscule amount of contaminants can degrade the performance of the spacecraft hardware hence contamination control is vital for the success of most aerospace programs.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) define cleanrooms as:
“Areas in which particle concentration and environmental conditions are controlled within specified limits. The limits of the particle concentrations are normally set by the requirements of the process occurring within the space so that contamination of people, processes and equipment can be mitigated.”
Esco offers a wide range of products and cleanroom components that allows efficient manufacturing/ processing of space and aerospace-related items. Examples of these include Isolators and Laminar Flow Straddle Units.
Maintenance of controlled room condition and reduction of cross-contamination is enhanced with pass boxes, pass-through, and air showers at the exit, and/or in between the controlled room and its external environment.
Esco Pharma with its innovative and turnkey solutions, backed with its four (4) core technologies, enables various industries such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals to comply with the internationally accredited GMP, as well as, industrial, environmental, and health and safety standards.
References:
- Naughton, P. (2019). History of Cleanrooms. ASHRAE Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/technical%20resources/ashrae%20journal/125thanniversaryarticles/38-54_naughton_historical_v2.pdf
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2007). The Space Economy at a Glance. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264040847-en
- Schrogl, K., Rathgeber, W., Baranes, B., & Venet, C. (Eds.). (2010). Yearbook on Space Policy 2008/2009: Setting New Trends. SpringerWienNewYork.
- Tribble, A., Boyadjian, B., Davis, J., Haffner, D., & McCullough, E. (1996). Contamination Control Engineering Design Guidelines for the Aerospace Community. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42776705.pdf
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