Browse Topic: Spacecraft
Researchers from CompPair and the European Space Agency have developed a new composite material for spacecraft with an embedded healing agent. European Space Agency, Paris, France Healable spacecraft structures could soon be possible thanks to cutting-edge composite technology. Swiss companies CompPair and CSEM, and Belgian company Com&Sens have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to modify their self-healing carbon fiber product for use in space transportation. Project Cassandra - an abbreviation for Composite Autonomous Sensing and Repair - includes sensors and a heating element within a composite carbon-fiber material, allowing spacecraft to autonomously repair initial stages of damage.
As satellites take on more onboard processing - from Earth imaging to autonomy - spacecraft computing designers are pushing for higher performance under tight thermal and radiation constraints. Here's how suppliers are approaching heat removal, radiation mitigation and production-scale space-grade computing for LEO and beyond.
Sealing systems in space applications must perform reliably under demanding conditions in engineering: cryogenic temperatures, vibration, leakage control, ultra-high vacuum, ionizing radiation, abrasive particulates, and repeated thermal cycling. Each factor strains conventional sealing technologies. In combination, they can rapidly cause failure in systems where margins are unforgiving and maintenance is impossible. As spacecraft architectures evolve toward longer operational lifetimes and broader mission profiles, sealing requirements continue to tighten. Launch vehicles, satellites, and exploration platforms now operate across wider temperature ranges and in contact with more aggressive propellants and media. As a result, both metal seals and engineered polymer alternatives are evaluated-and selected-against increasingly specific, measurable performance criteria.
Aerospace and defense systems demand materials capable of maintaining performance under extreme environmental and operational stressors, including wide thermal cycling ranges, exposure to hydrocarbon fuels, vacuum conditions, and repeated mechanical strain. Silicone-based materials have become essential in these environments because they can retain elasticity, stability, and functionality where many traditional materials fail. Silicones are widely used as coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers in aircraft and spacecraft applications. Their chemical structure enables resistance to both high and low temperatures, while also providing durability against solvents and fuels such as jet fuel. In contrast, many conventional elastomers degrade under prolonged thermal exposure or become brittle at cryogenic temperatures.
Dynamic responses at critical locations of a spacecraft due to excitations expected during the ascent phase of a launch vehicle mission are usually estimated through a Coupled Loads Analysis (CLA) using the structural dynamic finite element model of the launch vehicle coupled with that of the spacecraft. Generally, the full physical structural dynamic model of a spacecraft has lakhs of degrees-of-freedom (DOFs). Coupling such a model with a similar model for the launch vehicle results in exorbitantly high computational costs for CLA. Hence, dynamic analysis of such large and complex structural assemblies usually employ sub-structure coupling or Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) methods. The most widely used CMS method for dynamic analyses is the Craig-Bampton (CB) method. Conventionally, a full launch vehicle CLA involves one level of CB-reduction wherein a reduced-order dynamic model of the spacecraft is first generated using the fixed-interface CB-method. This reduced-order model is
The payload fairing of a launch vehicle is subjected to extremely high acoustic loads, with peak levels occurring during lift-off and transonic aerodynamic regimes. The external acoustic field penetrates the fairing, producing intense internal sound pressure levels that can challenge the integrity of spacecraft components. Accurate characterization of the vibroacoustic behavior of the payload fairing and its enclosed cavity is therefore essential to ensure spacecraft survivability. The internal acoustic field is governed by the coupled dynamics of the fairing structure and the spacecraft configuration, making it critical to quantify the acoustic environment for different payload arrangements. This study presents a detailed vibroacoustic analysis of a payload fairing with multiple spacecraft configurations to evaluate the resulting internal sound pressure distribution. Vibroacoustic finite element analysis is employed in the low frequency range, while statistical energy analysis is
Gaganyaan is an ambitious and recover safety mission for the Indian space program to launch humans into space. The success of the mission depends on the development of required technology and systems. A test vehicle is developed for the technological demonstration for all envisioned abort flight scenarios of Gaganyaan mission. A new configuration of launch vehicle with single liquid stage is planned for multiple flights. Coupled Loads analysis of launch vehicle system is a standard practice to estimate response and loads for the design of structures and generating sine vibration test levels. Usually a vehicle rests on the launch pad through base shroud with horizontal support and no vertical restraint. Upon ignition of the engine, thrust builds up and upon overcoming gravity the vehicle takes off. In the current analysis the launch vehicle is held in position using a holding / retracting mechanism and at a predefined time the vehicle is released. The boundary condition required a novel
The convergence of highly capable edge AI models and advanced commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) edge AI accelerators is reshaping how computation is deployed across defense, aerospace, and commercial platforms. Mission-critical decisions increasingly must be made at the edge, onboard vehicles, satellites, and infrastructure nodes, where latency, connectivity, and power availability are constrained.
Imagine a robot about the size of a toaster floating through the tight corridors of the International Space Station, quietly moving supplies or checking for leaks — all without an astronaut at the controls. Such technology could free up valuable time for astronauts and open new opportunities for robotics-based exploration. That sci-fi vision is coming closer to reality now that Stanford researchers have become the first to show that machine-learning-based control can operate aboard the ISS.
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, have successfully tested wideband technology that allows spacecraft to communicate with both government and commercial networks for the first time. Launched July 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) is demonstrating multilingual wideband terminal technology. Hosted on a satellite from York Space Systems, PExT enhances a spacecraft's communications subsystem, enabling mission controllers to track and exchange data more efficiently across a broad range of networks and frequencies.
The effective measurement and verification of dimensional stability indicators for large size and highly stable structures in service environments is the key to the development of high-precision spacecraft technology. Spatial carrier speckle interferometry technology has been widely used for high-precision measurements in recent years due to its advantages of fast speed, high accuracy, and simple operation. However, the existing technical research only focuses on the measurement under normal temperature and pressure environments, and there is little research on the application under complex operating conditions in space. There is currently no relevant research on the impact of system ambient vibration and noise on measurement stability disturbances. In response to the above issues, a high-precision deformation measurement system suitable for complex environments of high and low temperatures in a vacuum was designed based on spatial carrier measurement technology. A system measurement
Nuclear microreactors could improve the performance of electric propulsion systems in spacecraft. University of Washington, Seattle, WA To develop spacecraft that can “maneuver without regret,” the U.S. Space Force is providing $35 million to a national research team, including engineers at the University of Washington. It will be the first to bring fast chemical rockets together with efficient electric propulsion powered by a nuclear microreactor. The newly formed Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience (SPAR) Institute involves eight universities, and 14 industry partners and advisers in one of the nation's largest efforts to advance space power and propulsion.
To develop spacecraft that can “maneuver without regret,” the U.S. Space Force is providing $35 million to a national research team, including engineers at the University of Washington. It will be the first to bring fast chemical rockets together with efficient electric propulsion powered by a nuclear microreactor.
When Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (HPE) sent an unmodified high-performance computer to the International Space Station in 2017, no computer expert thought it would last a week. Over a year and a half later, Spaceborne Computer-1 returned home, having operated successfully for its entire mission.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed additively manufactured thermal protection system (AMTPS) comprised of two printable heat shield material formulations. These formulations are directly applied by 3D printer or other robotic extrusion system and bonded to a spacecraft to devise a heat shield suitable for atmospheric entry. This technology could significantly decrease heat shield or thermal protection system (TPS) fabrication cost and time.
Reliable seed germination and plant production requires an environment that is neither too dry nor too wet. PONDS was developed to improve water and nutrient delivery for plants grown on the International Space Station (ISS). The technology uses an innovative wicking material to passively link a water/nutrient reservoir to a growth cylinder where seeds are germinated and plants are produced. PONDS addresses limitations with existing ISS plant-production technology by providing consistent delivery of water/nutrients, improving oxygen transfer to plants, and allowing users to determine how much water is being applied.
Plastic materials are used for a wide variety of spacecraft applications including seals, bearings, fasteners, electrical insulators, thermal isolators, and radomes. Selecting plastics for use in space is complex due to wide operating temperature ranges, vacuum conditions, and exposure to radiation and atomic oxygen. Additionally, some spacecraft applications require sealing flammable propellants such as hydrogen and oxygen. This article will present some design considerations when selecting plastics for use in spacecraft. It will provide rich data on the performance characteristics of plastics as well as examples of successful spacecraft applications.
FibreCoat, the German materials startup, has developed a groundbreaking fiber reinforced composite that is capable of making aircraft, tanks and spacecraft invisible to radar surveillance.
FibreCoat, the German materials startup, has developed a groundbreaking fiber reinforced composite that is capable of making aircraft, tanks and spacecraft invisible to radar surveillance. The company was officially founded in Aachen, Germany, in 2020, however its core founding team first began developing new approaches to the use of materials that make commercial and military vehicles invisible to radar as back as 2014. FibreCoat is known for inventing a novel technology to coat metals and plastics onto fibers, thus combining the properties of the fibers and the coating material, during the fiber-spinning process.
Solar cells account for approximately six percent of the electricity used on Earth; however, in space, they play a significantly larger role, with nearly all satellites relying on advanced solar cells for their power. That’s why Georgia Tech researchers will soon be sending 18 photovoltaic cells to the International Space Station (ISS) for a study of how space conditions affect the devices’ operation over time.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a thin film sensor that measures temperatures up to 1200 °F, and whose prototype successor may achieve measurements up to ~3000 °F — which was the surface temperature of the Space Shuttle during its atmospheric reentry.
NASA is developing a lightweight one-piece regeneratively cooled thrust chamber assembly (TCA) for liquid rocket engines. Liquid rocket engines create thrust through the expansion of combusted propellants within the TCA. Standard manufacturing of TCAs involves individually building the injector, main combustion chamber and nozzle, and then bolting or welding the components together at the joints. However, potential seal failures in these complex joints can cause catastrophic explosions, as in the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Advanced motion control technologies are essential to modern aerospace design, supporting a wide range of safety-critical and comfort-driven applications. In aerospace, motion control components such as gas springs, actuators, and dampers are integral to nearly every commercial aircraft, rocket, satellite, and space vehicle. These critical elements support flight safety and transport functions, from the dependable deployment of landing gear and cargo doors to the smooth, ergonomic operation of seating for pilots and passengers.
Researchers have demonstrated a new technique that uses lasers to create ceramics that can withstand ultra-high temperatures, with applications ranging from nuclear power technologies to spacecraft and jet exhaust systems. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC A new technique that leverages the concept of sintering, can be used to create ceramic coatings, tiles or complex three-dimensional structures, which allows for increased versatility when engineering new devices and technologies. “Sintering is the process by which raw materials - either powders or liquids - are converted into a ceramic material,” says Cheryl Xu, co-corresponding author of a paper on this research and a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU). “For this work, we focused on an ultrahigh temperature ceramic called hafnium carbide (HfC). Traditionally, sintering HfC requires placing the raw materials in a furnace that can reach temperatures of at least 2,200
A spacecraft power system that combines the technological know-how of engineers and scientists at the University of Leicester and NASA Glenn has passed its first test with flying colors.
A new technique that leverages the concept of sintering, can be used to create ceramic coatings, tiles or complex three-dimensional structures, which allows for increased versatility when engineering new devices and technologies.
3D Systems Rockhill, SC
The advent of EVs, ride sharing, global events such as the pandemic, chip shortage, and increasing dependency on suppliers are just some factors reshaping the automotive business. Consumer sentiment moving from product to experience resulted in more variants being launched at a record pace. Consequently, product development processes need to be more agile and yet more rigorous while bringing about cohesion and alignment across cross-functional teams to launch vehicles on time, on quality, and in budget. Automotive companies have been using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions for years to manage CAD, change, and BOMs. With changing business scenarios and increasing complexity of products, the sphere of influence of PLM solutions has expanded significantly over the last decade to manage all aspects of product development. Traditionally PLM software focused on integrating with different authoring tools and managing data in a central repository. The PLM solution had multiple such
Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts on missions to and around the Moon. The agency and its international partners report progress continues on Gateway, the first space station that will permanently orbit the Moon, after visiting the Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy, where initial fabrication for one of two Gateway habitation modules is nearing completion.
Launching atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion will carry four astronauts to lunar orbit and safely return them to Earth on Artemis missions. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under Artemis. Astronauts on their first flight aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space.
Physicists at the Naval Research Laboratory are collaborating with several universities throughout the U.S. to develop a small satellite that will detect the emission of short gamma-ray bursts. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington D.C. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), has developed StarBurst, a small satellite (SmallSat) instrument for NASA's StarBurst Multimessenger Pioneer mission, which will detect the emission of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), a key electromagnetic (EM) signature that will contribute to the understanding of neutron star (NS) mergers. NRL transferred the instrument to NASA on March 4 for the next phase, environmental testing. From there, the instrument will be integrated onto the spacecraft bus, followed by launch into Low Earth Orbit in 2027. StarBurst will be installed as a secondary payload via the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter Grande interface with a
NearSpace Launch Inc. (NSL), a privately held and fully U.S.-owned aerospace company, is actively redefining the boundaries of responsive spaceflight through its development and deployment of the Train Rapid on Orbit Payload (TROOP) and ThinSat platforms. Over the past decade, NSL has launched more than 100 small satellites and over 900 flight systems and subsystems into orbit. NSL's satellites have been part of launches operated by Astra, Atlas, Delta, Firefly Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX among others. Headquartered in Upland, Indiana, NSL is currently the largest small satellite manufacturer in the midwestern region of the U.S., uniquely positioned to address urgent national needs for rapid space access and technology testing.
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