{"690309":{"#nid":"690309","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Leaner and Meaner: Materials Tested in Space Could Help Build More Space-Resilient Satellites","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have come close to simulating space environments in Earth labs, but the combination of extreme thermal swings, complex cosmic radiation, and sustained microgravity that spacecraft experience make it impossible to capture the real thing perfectly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, in a project led by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) researchers are closing the gap between Earth-based simulations and the true space environment by sending experimental materials to the International Space Station (ISS) for several months of in-orbit exposure. In a rare chance for space research, where most hardware is either left in orbit or burns up on reentry, they are getting those samples back for detailed analysis on Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe materials are set to launch to the ISS in the near future as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 22 (MISSE-22), a testbed attached to the outside of the station. Mounted on the forward-facing side of the ISS to ensure predominant exposure to highly corrosive atomic oxygen, the test samples will spend several months enduring the extreme temperatures, radiation, and reactive environment of low Earth orbit. The team is testing a selection of lightweight, research-grade polymers designed to survive these harsh conditions. Once the samples return to Earth, engineers will examine how they held up and use that data to enhance the strategic of future satellite constellations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis project represents a collaboration across government, academia, and industry, bringing together GTRI, Georgia Tech, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a California-based R\u0026amp;D firm Hedgefog Research Inc., and DuPont de Nemours, Inc. The research is also supported by Aegis Aerospace, which owns and operates the MISSE Flight Facility platform aboard the ISS.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy Space is So Hard on Satellites\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHarsh conditions in low Earth orbit \u2014 the region of space extending from approximately 100 miles to over 1,000 miles above Earth, where many satellites and the ISS travel \u2014 can darken, roughen, and weaken spacecraft surfaces over time. That damage shortens satellite lifetimes and requires engineers to add extra layers of protection, increasing overall logistical burden and mission costs.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EOptimizing material durability is a strategic necessity, explained Elena Plis, a GTRI senior research engineer and principal investigator for the project, because every additional unit of shielding increases the cost of getting to orbit. To design lighter, more resilient materials, researchers need to examine how they degrade in a true space environment. However, most hardware is built for a one-way trip \u2014 designed to operate in orbit and then burn up on reentry, taking that valuable material data with it.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cThe beauty of this type of experiment is that the materials return to Earth,\u201d said Plis. \u201cFor many missions, stuff is sent up and never seen again. Being able to test returned samples from real space conditions is unique, and I can\u2019t stress enough how exciting that is for us.\u201d\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA New Generation of Polymers Head for Space\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EInstead of relying on familiar spacecraft materials like DuPont\u2019s Kapton \u2014 a tough, heat-resistant polyimide plastic film that has coated spacecraft exteriors since the Apollo era \u2014 the team is sending up a set of new, lightweight, research-grade polymers. These materials are designed to improve the survivability of assets against space\u2019s unforgiving elements.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EPlis and her collaborators started with dozens of candidate materials they developed. To earn a spot on the MISSE-22, a sample has to be transparent or translucent, so light can pass through it, and researchers can examine how its optical properties change in orbit. The materials also have to be tough enough to withstand intense atomic oxygen exposure without fragmenting, which would create debris near the ISS. In the end, only a select number of the team\u2019s materials made the cut.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe MISSE-22 testbed holds multiple experimental polymers. Instead of standard illumination, the team constructed a custom on-orbit polariscope: LEDs beneath each sample shine polarized light up through the material. A small camera system then slides over the top to capture these highly specific optical changes on a set schedule over the course of several months in space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EUsing Light to Reveal Space Strain\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EUsing polarized light and machine learning to rapidly analyze color patterns in the images they receive from orbit, the researchers can track how stress inside each sample changes over time. Periodically, the system will cycle through the materials, and the images will be downlinked to Earth.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWhen the extended mission ends and the samples return, the team will compare those in-orbit measurements with detailed lab tests on the actual pieces that flew. Without returned materials, they would only have images and sensor data to work from. By testing the same samples in the lab, they can check how accurate the remote measurements really are and refine their methods.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIf the materials perform as expected, the results could help engineers design satellites that last longer in orbit without carrying so much protective weight \u2014providing a significant technological advantage in space domain awareness and asset longevity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers, led by the Georgia Tech Research Institute, are sending new polymers to the International Space Station to study their durability in harsh space conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers, led by the Georgia Tech Research Institute, are sending new polymers to the International Space Station to study their durability in harsh space conditions."}],"uid":"35874","created_gmt":"2026-05-15 15:06:45","changed_gmt":"2026-05-15 15:26:42","author":"Anna Akins","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680284":{"id":"680284","type":"image","title":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_19--1-.JPG","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMembers of the GTRI research team who helped develop and qualify materials that will be tested on the ISS during the MISSE-22 mission (Photo Credit: Sean McNeil, GTRI).\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1778857869","gmt_created":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","changed":"1778857869","gmt_changed":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","alt":"Four GTRI researchers pose for a photo in a lab space. ","file":{"fid":"264531","name":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_19--1-.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_19--1-.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_19--1-.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":17428791,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_19--1-.JPG?itok=q2wP1JPi"}},"680285":{"id":"680285","type":"image","title":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_07.JPG","body":"\u003Cp\u003EClose-up of a sample similar to those that will be sent to the ISS to study their durability in harsh space conditions (Photo Credit: Sean McNeil, GTRI).\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1778857869","gmt_created":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","changed":"1778857869","gmt_changed":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","alt":"A photo of a sample similar to the one that will be sent to the International Space Station. ","file":{"fid":"264532","name":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_07.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_07.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_07.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":14395883,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_07.JPG?itok=xg6C06mf"}},"680286":{"id":"680286","type":"image","title":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_02.JPG","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPlis and her team are sending new lightweight, research-grade polymers to the ISS for months of in-orbit exposure and later testing on Earth. Here, she is pictured in a laboratory at a GTRI facility in Atlanta, GA (Photo Credit: Sean McNeil, GTRI).\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1778857869","gmt_created":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","changed":"1778857869","gmt_changed":"2026-05-15 15:11:09","alt":"A photo of a GTRI researcher leading effort to send research-grade polymers to the ISS for months of in-orbit exposure and later testing on Earth. ","file":{"fid":"264533","name":"2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_02.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_02.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_02.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":15484992,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/15\/2026_0422_image_MISSE-22_Elena-Plis_Baker_02.JPG?itok=YD7p2sd9"}}},"media_ids":["680284","680285","680286"],"groups":[{"id":"1276","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"2798","name":"International Space Station"},{"id":"190596","name":"space research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003ENews Contact\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAuthor:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:anna.akins@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAnna Akins \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:aisles3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAyana Isles\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESenior Media Relations Representative\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}