New thermal coatings for spacecraft and satellites developed using metamaterials

Phys.org   April 25, 2018
Optical solar reflectors (OSRs) made of quartz tiles designed to reject solar radiation and dissipate the heat that is generated on board satellites, are heavy, fragile, cannot be applied to curved surfaces and add significantly to assembly and launch costs. An international team of researchers (UK, Italy, Denmark) working on Horizon 2020 sponsored space technology project, developed a new meta-OSR coating enabled by the use of metal oxide that has very strong infrared emissivity while retaining a low absorption of the solar spectrum. A ‘smart’ radiator based on their metamaterial design allows tuning of the radiative cooling of the spacecraft using another type of metal oxide. The material can be applied onto flexible thin-film substances with the potential to be developed as a new technology solution… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 1  2 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station. Copyright: NASA. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

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