Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives

Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives Lennart Ziemer, Stefan Ulrich Lobas, Vincent Mario Clermont, Silas Helgesson, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Long-term Investigation of Zero-gravity, vAcuum, and RaDiation effects on geckomaterials (LIZARD) payload is aimed at researching the effects of the space environment on Microstructured Dry Adhesives (MDA). MDA are elastomers with microstructured surfaces offering a promising solution for space applications. Their resilience to vacuum and temperature fluctuations was confirmed in past studies, but the impact of ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, as well as combined effects on their adhesive properties remains largely unknown. The LIZARD payload marks the first testing of MDA in real space conditions. A key focus during development was the pragmatic use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components without compromising reliability. This paper details the challenging environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), COTS component selection and verification processes for the payloads deployment aboard the 12U AIOTY-CUBE satellite. A SPENVIS simulation determined that the majority of components will receive a total dose of 1.538 krad during the one-year mission. A total ionizing dose test was conducted at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. Critical components were subjected to 𝛾-radiation doses of up to 12 krad. All flight components passed the test unharmed. An ST890 MOSFET in the power supply of the designated microcontroller’s development board failed; presumably due to excessive charge build-up in its gate oxide, rendering it permanently damaged. AIOTY-CUBE’s lack of active stabilization necessitated an illumination test. If the satellite is adversely oriented, incoming sunlight significantly affects the built-in cameras’ image exposure. Adjusting the image exposure accordingly was found to remedy the effect reliably, ensuring accurate data collection and unaffected performance of image analysis tools. Redundancies for microcontrollers, non-volatile memory and file systems are foreseen to further enhance mission reliability. The conducted tests confirmed that the design decisions and component selection have resulted in operational hardware capable of enduring the rigorous conditions encountered in LEO. Micropatterned Dry Adhesives COTS Components Environment Tests Total Ionizing Dose Thermal Cycling Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 07 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 22 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 19 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9171392","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":619085107,"identity":"1bad09dd-f253-4260-98e7-b665cc0c8194","order_by":0,"name":"Lennart Ziemer","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPiA+AGLwAzEzEMuwAQkJfFrYYFok2yBaeIjSAgYGx6BaGAhrYX944GOOTb7x/R4D5oKKezx80g2MNz7gtyXh4MxtaZbbjvEYMM84U8zDJnOA2XIGfi0HDvNuO2xgdozH/DdvWwIPm0QCmzQPXi2MDYf/bvtvYNwGtIX3H1TLH7xamBkOM247YGDABtLSANWC1/vMbAwHe7clG0gcSytgnnEMpCWx2bIHjxZ+9vbHH35uszPgbz68gbmgJkFOfkbywRs/8FnDjCnE2IBPwygYBaNgFIwCIgAAkSA9+coUM9oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Berlin","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lennart","middleName":"","lastName":"Ziemer","suffix":""},{"id":619085108,"identity":"c73208d8-1552-4713-a8f2-016578226525","order_by":1,"name":"Stefan Ulrich Lobas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stefan","middleName":"Ulrich","lastName":"Lobas","suffix":""},{"id":619085109,"identity":"9f3049a5-25a4-4255-b433-59dd2755d3c9","order_by":2,"name":"Vincent Mario Clermont","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vincent","middleName":"Mario","lastName":"Clermont","suffix":""},{"id":619085110,"identity":"4bf28d09-5e30-4027-99ab-3feb1af6eb53","order_by":3,"name":"Silas Helgesson","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Silas","middleName":"","lastName":"Helgesson","suffix":""},{"id":619085112,"identity":"58ca795c-947a-460d-8789-010036e6c0c7","order_by":4,"name":"Mohamed Khalil Ben-Larbi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Würzburg","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohamed","middleName":"Khalil","lastName":"Ben-Larbi","suffix":""},{"id":619085113,"identity":"6f3588fe-0dee-4f0c-8dde-753208917196","order_by":5,"name":"Enrico Stoll","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Enrico","middleName":"","lastName":"Stoll","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-19 15:54:03","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107480324,"identity":"9ec4e08e-957b-4851-8a6b-ffcf2b5c2edc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-22 02:08:38","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":14229832,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CEASEvaluatingCOTSComponentsfortheLIZARDPayloadonMicropatternedDryAdhesives.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9171392/v1_covered_05a38378-f5aa-4a06-a88a-4d78431201fc.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"ceas-space-journal","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ceas","sideBox":"Learn more about [CEAS Space Journal](http://link.springer.com/journal/12567)","snPcode":"12567","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12567/3","title":"CEAS Space Journal","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Micropatterned Dry Adhesives, COTS Components, Environment Tests, Total Ionizing Dose, Thermal Cycling","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The Long-term Investigation of Zero-gravity, vAcuum, and RaDiation effects on geckomaterials (LIZARD) payload is aimed at researching the effects of the space environment on Microstructured Dry Adhesives (MDA). MDA are elastomers with microstructured surfaces offering a promising solution for space applications. Their resilience to vacuum and temperature fluctuations was confirmed in past studies, but the impact of ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, as well as combined effects on their adhesive properties remains largely unknown. The LIZARD payload marks the first testing of MDA in real space conditions. A key focus during development was the pragmatic use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components without compromising reliability. This paper details the challenging environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), COTS component selection and verification processes for the payloads deployment aboard the 12U AIOTY-CUBE satellite. A SPENVIS simulation determined that the majority of components will receive a total dose of 1.538 krad during the one-year mission. A total ionizing dose test was conducted at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. Critical components were subjected to 𝛾-radiation doses of up to 12 krad. All flight components passed the test unharmed. An ST890 MOSFET in the power supply of the designated microcontroller’s development board failed; presumably due to excessive charge build-up in its gate oxide, rendering it permanently damaged. AIOTY-CUBE’s lack of active stabilization necessitated an illumination test. If the satellite is adversely oriented, incoming sunlight significantly affects the built-in cameras’ image exposure. Adjusting the image exposure accordingly was found to remedy the effect reliably, ensuring accurate data collection and unaffected performance of image analysis tools. Redundancies for microcontrollers, non-volatile memory and file systems are foreseen to further enhance mission reliability. The conducted tests confirmed that the design decisions and component selection have resulted in operational hardware capable of enduring the rigorous conditions encountered in LEO.","manuscriptTitle":"Evaluating COTS Components for the LIZARD Payload on Micropatterned Dry Adhesives","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-13 22:18:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9171392/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-07T12:43:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-22T15:53:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-20T13:25:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"CEAS Space Journal","date":"2026-03-19T15:50:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"ceas-space-journal","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ceas","sideBox":"Learn more about [CEAS Space Journal](http://link.springer.com/journal/12567)","snPcode":"12567","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12567/3","title":"CEAS Space Journal","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b2807c49-6d02-4934-8709-82c19691c269","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-13T22:18:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-13 22:18:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9171392","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9171392","identity":"rs-9171392","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}