Production of specialised transport boxes for the CIMR and ROSE-L space missions

In 2025, Danpol completed a unique project involving the production of transport crates for a customer involved in the Copernicus programme’s space missions – CIMR (Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer) and ROSE-L (Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band). The crates were designed and manufactured for the storage and transport of equipment supporting ground operations related to the preparation, integration and testing of space instruments. Due to the extremely high cleanliness requirements, the project required the creation of a cleanroom environment and the use of the highest standards of material quality and workmanship.

Scope of services provided:

Description of order fulfilment:

Design and multi-stage approval

The design of the transport crates was developed entirely by the Danpol team based on detailed technical specifications provided by the customer. After presenting the concept and obtaining approval, production commenced. The entire process required close cooperation with the customer’s team, which carried out inspections and quality controls of each crate at various stages of production.

Establishing a cleanroom environment and preparing materials

Due to ultra-high cleanliness requirements, Danpol created a special cleanroom production environment in which the crates could be manufactured without the risk of dust contamination. All wooden materials were carefully planed, sanded and painted to ensure smooth, dust-free surfaces. This process was crucial because the crates were to be used to transport equipment that would ultimately end up in the rocket chamber – even the smallest contamination could jeopardise the entire space mission.

Lining the interior with ALU barrier foil and sealing

The interior of each box has been carefully lined with ALU barrier foil, which provides an impermeable barrier against dust, moisture and other contaminants. All structural joints – wall-to-wall and wall-to-floor – have been additionally sealed with special gaskets to ensure complete tightness of the packaging. This solution ensures that the space equipment remains in a perfectly clean environment throughout the entire storage and transport period.

Protective measures and quality control

Each crate was reinforced with metal corners to protect the structure from mechanical damage during transport and handling. In addition, a tarpaulin cover was placed over the finished crate to provide an outer layer of protection against dirt. The customer’s representatives visited the Danpol production plant several times, carrying out detailed inspections at every stage of production – from the preparation of materials, through assembly, to final securing.

Application in space missions CIMR and ROSE-L

The manufactured boxes were used to store and transport equipment supporting ground operations related to the preparation, integration and testing of space instruments for the CIMR and ROSE-L missions of the Copernicus programme. The CIMR mission comprises two satellites equipped with multi-frequency microwave radiometers to measure sea ice concentration, sea surface temperature and salinity, with a focus on monitoring the Arctic region. The ROSE-L mission provides information for monitoring forest types and coverage, soil moisture and land ice, supporting climate change research.