UK-based AquiSense Technologies (Europe) Ltd, a subsidiary of UV-C LED system manufacturer AquiSense Technologies LLC of Florence, KT, USA, has been selected to participate in the project Biocontamination Integrated Control for Wet Systems for Space Exploration (BIOWYSE).
AquiSense is part of a seven-company consortium that includes Italian firm Thales Alenia Space, one of the main suppliers to the International Space Station (ISS). The BIOWYSE consortium will design, build and test innovative prevention, monitoring and mitigation modules to be integrated in a compact system.
AquiSense will design the key technology within the decontamination module, employing UV-C LED technology, similar to that used in the firm's PearlAqua water disinfection system. Richard Simons, a PhD graduate engineer from Imperial College London, has been appointed as program manager for AquiSense.
The proposed BIOWYSE project foresees the development and demonstration of an integrated biocontamination control system for water and humid areas, to be demonstrated on the International Space Station and future human exploration missions. BIOWYSE stems from the results of actual flight experiments and state-of-the-art prevention, monitoring and mitigation technologies. The project will further investigate the possibilities for spin-off developments in the terrestrial water management industries.
The project is funded by the European Commission under the €80bn Horizon 2020 program and is valued at €3m.
