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The redesign of the international Space Station Freedom (SSF) and funding constraints in the ESA member states caused a redirection of the development effort for the Attached Pressurised Module (APM). For the ECLSS the most important changes are the reduction in length of the module in order to make it compatible with the ARIANE V capabilities and the more severe cost constraints. As a result new concepts for the cabin loop were investigated leading to a decrease in cabin loop power consumption, mass and volume and a reduced development effort due to a lower number of items. In the previous concept a module internal loop with a flow rate of 864m3/hr and an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) flow rate for air revitalisation to the station with 240m3/hr were installed. The revised boundary conditions with a reduced overall massflow rate of 540m3/hr allows the combination of the cabin loop and the IMV with limited impact on the total power consumption.

This paper presents some of the important aspects of the development work carried out recently in the Hermes ECLSS (since Ref. 1). For various constituent hardware items of the ECLSS, the paper describes and explains the technical constraints which are at the origin of the development work, discusses the design concepts which have been identified and investigated to fulfill the constraints, and presents the technical solution which has been selected. For some hardware items (e.g. cabin fan, toilet assembly), for which the initial design selection has been supported by breadboard tests, the paper presents the rationale behind such tests and the major test results obtained. The consequences derived from the test experience for the further development work are explained.