Toulouse, the 15th February 2001,

 Ref. CR/NH/01 031

Dear Sir,

In Oct. 00, LAAS-CNRS in collaboration with 4 European laboratories (IMT⁽¹⁾, IMTEK⁽²⁾, Uppsala University⁽³⁾ and University of Barcelona⁽⁴⁾) and one French company (LACROIX) has launched MicroPyros, a three-years program of work, fully funded by the European Community within the Information Society Technology program.

The overall objective of MicroPyros is to set up and develop MEMS based technologies, the design tools and the characterization means in order to fabricate generic Solid Propellant Micro actuator on Silicon. So far MicroPyros main scope is the fabrication and integration of a full autonomous micropropulsion module for nanosatellite, the program is mainly devoted to basic research work and claims to deliver for further developments:

(1) a prototyping technology for the fabrication,

(2) A microinjection equipment to load propellant into micro holes,

(3) A designing software package to design and dimension further modules,

(4) A MicroPyroSystems demonstrator for Micropropulsion application.

We have chosen to demonstrate MicroPyros through the Space Application because LAAS-CNRS and Uppsala have some experience in this field of research. The micropropulsion demonstrator main goal is to demonstrate the capabilities of the technologies and the fact that it is possible to make short impulse microforce by coupling propellant within small volume of silicon.

Today we have already identified 3 other potential fields of application: (1) military and defence activities for use in ballistic-missile interceptors for example, (2) medical where electronically driven pyrotechnics actuators could replace a mechanical parts to move the medication (3) the security domain with the fabrication of smart micropyromechanisms; this new product may find applications in automotive as well as in the hand gun leisure.

Being a Future Emerging Technology project, the good exploitation of the results is crucial and condition the emergence of this technology and product. The consortium proposes to drive around MicroPyros an "advisory board" assembling the potential authority and industrial people susceptible to expertise the work and to provide constructive criticisms to the members of the consortium. The "advisory board" will receive the annual report describing the ongoing work. Interactions will be achieved by means of closed annual meeting. Let me focus the fact that the "Advisory board" 's role in the project is of importance because it is the concrete connection between the project and the industrial world and potential future applications.

Your professional activities and experience in Space Activities appear to be interesting and could be in relation with MicroPyros project. I am pleased to invite you to participate to the "MicroPyros advisory board".

If you are interested, let me know; I will send you a first report presenting the project and the technical choices.

Best regards,

Dr. Carole Rossi

⁽¹⁾ Institute of Microtechnology-University of Neuchatel, Switzerland

⁽²⁾ Institute for MicroSystem Technology-University of Freiburg, Germany

⁽³⁾ Uppsala University, Sweden

⁽⁴⁾ Dpt d'electronica-Universitat de Barcelona, Spain