Lots of satellites with equipment more and more sensitive to contamination operate in Low Earth Orbit and can be exposed to high Atomic Oxygen fluence. Therefore, it is paramount to highlight the risks of damage according to the chemical nature of materials and quantify the level of potential induced contaminants produced by erosion and oxidation that may alter the surface properties in close vicinity.

“Atomic Oxygen Induced Contamination” or AIC topic is part of the research themes defined for collaborative studies between Japanese and French space agencies. First AIC test campaigns were performed in JAXA facility to identify the nature of the contaminants potentially generated by AO impingement on polymer materials and to characterize their effects. As a result, it was clarified that some materials commonly used on spacecraft could generate mainly particles. Next step is to compare the effect of AO preliminary observed during ground tests on various polymers such as those used on the International Space Station or on LEO satellites with the real degradation of the same kinds of polymers that will be exposed on Euro Material Ageing/SESAME experiment. This experiment will be launched mid 2024 to be installed on ram face of ISS for more than one year. Thus, it will offer a unique opportunity to better understand the impact of space environment parameters and especially the effect of AO and AIC generation. As for ground tests where double-sided tapes were used as collector materials to capture AIC contaminants, the same double-sided tapes will be placed on SESAME to evaluate the possible redistributed particulate contamination coming from the eroded polymers.

This paper will present our results on AIC from previous ground test campaigns and will focus on our analysis plan to characterize the double-sided tapes not only after ground tests but also after SESAME retrieval.