Qualification of Spaceborne Phase-Changing Materials (PCM) for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO)
The tables below detail the academic research laboratories, companies, and space agencies that are studying or have studied the effects of the low-earth orbit (LEO) environment on various materials (not necessarily PCMs). The materials are evaluated either in (a) simulated LEO conditions or (b) in situ through missions to LEO.
Academic Research Laboratories Evaluating Materials in Simulated LEO Conditions
| Country/Continent | Links | Organization | Publication Year | Evaluated LEO Environment Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | (1), (2) | Colorado State University Electric Propulsion & Plasma Engineering (CEPPE) Laboratory | 2016 | Atomic oxygen |
| USA | (1) | School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Pennsylvania State University | 2016 | Plasma |
| USA | (1) | Air Force Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics | 2019 | Atomic oxygen and UV radiation |
| USA | (1) | Materials Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 2017 | Gamma radiation |
| USA | (1) | University of Akron, Akron, Ohio | 2006 | Atomic oxygen |
| USA | (1) | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | 2015 | Atomic oxygen |
| Europe | (1) | CENTRA, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal | 2020 | Vacuum, UV radiation, and thermal cycling |
| Europe | (1) | Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey | 2021 | Atomic oxygen and UV radiation |
| Europe | (1) | A. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute) | 2021 | Thermal cycling, UV radiation, vacuum, plasma |
| China | (1) | Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science | 2011 | Atomic oxygen |
| China | (1) | City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China | 2004 | Atomic oxygen |
| China | (1) | Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 2014 | Atomic oxygen |
| China | (1) | Lanzhou Institute of Vacuum Physics | 1990s | Atomic oxygen |
| China | (1) | Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics | 1990s | Atomic oxygen |
| China | (1) | Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering | 1996 | Atomic oxygen |
| Australia | (1) | Polymer Materials and Radiation Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia | 1998 | Atomic oxygen and UV radiation |
| Australia | (1) | Applied and Plasma Physics, School of Physics (A28), The University of Sydney | 2006 | Vacuum, temperature cycling, plasma |
| Israel | (1) | Space Environmental Division, Soruq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne, Israel | 2004 | Plasma, atomic oxygen, and radiation |
| Korea | (1) | School of Aerospace Engineering, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | 2010 | UV radiation, temperature cycling, atomic oxygen |
| Korea | (1) | Division of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | 2004 | Vacuum, UV radiation, thermal cycling, atomic oxygen |
Companies Evaluating Materials in Simulated LEO Conditions
| Links | Organization | Year(s) | Evaluated LEO Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory | 1982-2021 (ongoing) | Thermal cycling, radiation, plasma, vacuum. |
| (1) | NTS | 1961-2021 (ongoing) | Thermal cycling, radiation, vacuum |
| (1) | PASQ | 2018-2021 (ongoing) | EMC, radiation, thermal cycling, mechanical vibrations |
| (1) | Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) | 1947 (company was founded) -2021 (ongoing) | EMC, thermal cycling, and mechanical vibrations |
| (1), (2), (3) | Space Qualification Laboratory of the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) | 1984-2021 (ongoing) | Thermal shock; thermal vacuum; combined pressure, temperature, humidity and alitudue. |
| (1) | AccelRF | 2003-2021 (ongoing) | High temperatures |
| International Photoonics Consultants | 2010 | Gamma radiation | |
| (1) | Nusil Technology; International Photonics Consultants | 2010 | Gamma radiation |
| (1) | Element | 1827 (company was founded)-2021 (ongoing) | Gamma radiation |
Space Agencies Evaluating Materials in Simulated LEO Conditions
| Links | Organization | Year | Evaluated LEO Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Space Environmental Effects Team, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center | 2019 | Plasma |
| (1) | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology | 2019 | Radiation |
| (1) | JAXA | 2004 | Vacuum |
| (1) | Department of Launch Vehicle System Integration, Korea Aerospace Research Institute | 2013 | Vacuum, atomic oxygen, UV radiation, and thermal cycling |
| (1) | ESA (Materials & Electrical Components Laboratory) | -2021 (ongoing) | Radiation, thermal cycling, atomic oxygen. |
Space Agencies and Companies Materials in situ
| Links | Organization (or Mission) | Starting Year | Ending Year | Evaluated LEO Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1), (2) | NASA (Long Duration Exposure Facility) | 1984 | 1990 | Micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and radiation |
| (1) | NASA (Mir Environmental Effects Payload) | 1996 | 1997 | Space debris |
| (1), (2) | NASA (Materials International Space Station Experiment, MISSE) | 2001 | 2021 | Micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and radiation |
| (1) | NASA (EPSCoR ISS and Suborbital Flight Opportunity) | 2020 | 2021 | Dependent on experiment |
| (1) | NASA (Advanced Composite materials Exposure to Space Experiment, ACOMEX on STS-41G) | 1984 | 1984-89 | Atomic oxygen |
| (1) | JAXA (Materials Degradation Monitor) | 2017 | 2019 | Atomic oxygen |
| (1) | JAXA (Evaluation of Oxygen with Materials, EOIM) | 1992 | 1992-89 | Atomic oxygen |
| (1) | JAXA (Small Demonstration Satellite) | 2009 | 2009-19 | Atomic oxygen and radiation |
| (1) | JAXA (Exposed Facility Flyer Unit, EFFU) | 1995 | 1996 | Material degradation |
| (1) | JAXA (Evaluation of the Space Environment and Effects on Materials, ESEM) | 1997 | 1997-99 | Material degradation |
| (1) | ESA (European Retrievable Carrier, EURECA spacecraft) | 1992 | 1993 | atomic oxygen |
| (1) | ESA (Debris In Orbit Evaluation, DEBIE) | 2001 | 2005 | Debris and Micrometeroids |
| (1) | ESA (Standard Radiation Environment Monitor, SREM) | 2002 | 2021 | Radiation |
| (1) | ESA (Materials Exposure and Degradation Experiment, MEDET) | 2008 | 2009 | Atomic oxygen, radiation, and local pressure |
| (1), (2) | RSC Energia (Russian Space Program) | 1990 | 2008 | Micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and radiation |
| (1) | Russian Space Program (RCC-1 mission) | 1990 | 1991 | Micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and radiation |
| (1), (2) | Alpha Space LLC (MISSE) | 2001 | 2021 | Micrometeoroids, space debris, radiation particles, atomic oxygen, and radiation |