Space Environmental Testing of Novel Candidate Materials for Multilayer Insulation
Multilayer insulation forms the outer barrier of a satellite towards space. Polymer foils used in multilayer insulation have to withstand the space environment for mission durations often lasting well above 10 years. This paper outlines the space environmental test campaign performed to qualify novel and advanced polymer foils to reduce blanket mass and replace export-controlled materials. Complete multilayer insulation layups were irradiated; these were composed of thicker outermost layers of the reference material Kapton®, a white polyimide and an alternative, conductive black polyimide and up to seven thin internal, aluminized 6  μm or 3  μm polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate layers separated by nonwoven spacers. One sample set consisted of 25  μm polyether-ether-ketone foil and 6  μm internal vacuum-deposited-aluminum-coated polyether-ether-ketone layers. Materials were exposed to ultraviolet, electrons and protons simulating a 15-year geostationary orbit mission. Absorptance was ...