The hostile and unpredictable environment of deep space requires a new conceptual approach for interstellar flight, one that differs radically from any current design in aerospace. A design solution is proposed in which the starship is attached to a C-type asteroid and whose architecture evolves over time. The starship gradually mines resources of the asteroid, while at the same time using it as a shielding structure against frontal impacts. The extracted raw materials are used for cultivation of the onboard ecosystem and expansion of the starship's architecture, the latter of which is primarily conducted by mobile 3D printers. Within the bounds of its sensing horizon, the spacecraft can detect prospective high-energy particle collisions and radiation events along its upcoming flight path. Subsequently, the starship will adapt itself by changing its interior and exterior morphology. This constant evolution aims to minimize the spacecraft damage and loss of functionality, and handles the inherent unpredictability of the mission. The Delft University of Technology Starship Team (DSTART) simulates this concept using an array of different techniques. The ecosystem dynamics are approached using agent-based modeling, while the evolving architecture of the starship is approached with genetic algorithms. The starship simulation relies on four distinct timelines. A first timeline provides real-time updates on the state of the starship's regenerative ecosystem, with a focus on population sizes, mass fluxes, and radiation impact. ESA's MELiSSA project was used as a conceptual blueprint for the ecosystem. A second timeline deals with the growth of the starship architecture, taking into account material supplies, mining rates, 3D printing speeds and wear of existing structures. The third timeline forecasts the impact of future particle collisions and interstellar radiation as assessed within the sensing horizon. The fourth and final timeline is concerned with the evolution of the starship architecture as a response to this forecast. This is done by comparing the structural integrity and ecosystem health of different variations of the starship's morphology. The first results of this work will be presented, as well as an overview of the implications for space system design.@en

Space-based manufacturing is considered a crucial next step for the further development of human settlement in space. There are vast quantities of building resources distributed throughout space, with asteroids among the most apparent candidates for large-scale mining and resource provision. In this presentation, we present a hybrid simulation model in which building materials extracted from asteroids are used in a differential 3D manufacturing process to create expanding modular space architecture. This work is part of the larger research programme E|A|S (Evolving Asteroid Starships) in which concepts for self-developing and evolvable interstellar spacecraft are being created by the DSTART team at Delft University of Technology. A high-level 'factory model' has been created that simulates the different steps of an entire production chain. The functions of the core disjunct components of the model range from mining, processing, storage, and 3D printing to biological life support and habitation. The model's backbone consists of a heuristic based on a decision tree that handles multiple incoming production requests. Architectural production is needed to cope with (1) population growth of the inhabitants, and (2) the need for replacement of modules due to space weathering caused by particle impact and structural fatigue caused by high-energy cosmic radiation. The simulation model combines DEVS (discrete event system specification) and DESS (differential equation system specification) approaches and includes an abstract animated visualization. The model allows the user to keep track of material flows, bottlenecks and production efficiencies. In a series of simulation experiments three parameters are varied: (1) system properties (including aspects such as processing speed and storage capacity), (2) resource availability (by varying the chemical composition of the asteroids), and (3) production demand (which depends on population dynamics and the need for module replacement). These experiments are designed to increase understanding of the performance of the envisioned system under different conditions. In this paper, the results of these different simulation experiments are described and compared. The relevance for the larger project goals of E|A|S are discussed, and conclusions are drawn for future research on evolvable space architecture concepts.@en