Concurrent design facility

Note: This Page Serves as an archive of the old articles removed from the CDF Main PageThe Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) was established at ESTEC in November 1998; on an experimental basis, under the sponsorship and initiative of the General Studies Program (GSP). The idea was to evaluate the use of Concurrent Engineering (CE) to create an integrated design environment for the assessments of future missions. The first case study was provided by the Central European Satellite for Advance Research (CESAR) mission assessment, performed from January to March 1999, which ESA had undertaken jointly with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) on behalf of the Central European Initiative (CEI). The design facility was named after the study: CesaR (Concurrent Engineering Set-up for Advanced Results).

On Tuesday 8th of April, the new Concurrent Design Facility was inaugurated by Crown Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands. The ceremony, organized for the official opening of the new laboratory building at ESTEC, in Noordwijk, included the visit of two new laboratories: the Propulsion Lab and the Concurrent Design Facility.

Following the success of previous editions of the Concurrent Engineering Challenge, organised by ESA’s Education Office and the Systems Department, the next edition is scheduled to take place from 7 ...

The next revolution in space technology could be using swarms of small spacecraft working together rather than one much bigger spacecraft. Following an open call for ideas, ESA selected seven projects for mission/system concept study. On 26 April the teams showcased their work in ESA's Concurrent Design facility. Two studies were selected for further development.

Space design chamber made with LEGO® bricks

Satellite design applied to superyacht