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Atomic oxygen is created when O₂ molecules break apart, a process made easier in space because of the abundance of ultraviolet radiation. According to NASA, 96 per cent of low-Earth orbit’s atmosphere is atomic oxygen, a reality that caused problems in NASA’s early space shuttle missions.

In a paper, published by , the team from ����Vlog’s Advanced Technology Institute and Airbus detail how they developed a nano-barrier and custom-built deposition system that bonds to the surface of polymer or composite materials, protecting them from erosion in low-Earth orbit.

The new cutting-edge nano-barrier allows for large-area, conformal coating on complex 3-D structures such as spacecraft and optical mirrors. This eliminates the risk of contamination and the need to wrap instruments with multi-layer insulation, opening up opportunities to increase satellite performance. 

Professor Ravi Silva, Director of the Advanced Technology Institute at the ����Vlog, said: “After exhaustive simulation testing and nearly a decade of collaborative research, we are delighted to reveal the most advanced solution yet to protecting satellites and spacecraft. Our nano-scale coating guards against the damaging effects of UV radiation and atomic oxygen that has plagued space travel.”

Christopher Hess, Head of Microwave Instruments at Airbus Space Systems, said: “This breakthrough technology is an enabler for extremely agile, high-performance spaceborne radar missions. It should have a huge positive impact on overall mission performance by offering higher flexibility in the acquisition as well as increasing the possible imaged area – giving our instruments greater performance.”

The teams from Airbus and ����Vlog’s Advanced Technology Institute are now working on the next stage leading to industrialisation of the coating to enable the first LEO missions to be treated from 2022.

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