Aerospace

SmartIR, a University of Manchester spinout, has announced that graphene-based adaptive radiator has launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-12 as part of Mission 2, a collaboration with Hydra Space and Alba Orbital.

This mission addresses a critical challenge in the space sector: the need for cost-effective thermal management solutions. Current low-orbit satellites often rely on heaters, which increase power consumption, while long-orbit satellites utilize heavy and bulky systems such as thermal louvres. SmartIR’s graphene-based radiator offers a solution to this problem, enabling satellites to flexibly manage thermal energy. The technology fully vents heat from all surfaces when in Earth’s shadow and selectively shields only the side exposed to the sun during orbit.

Volt Carbon Technologies, in collaboration with Downsview Aerospace Innovation & Research (DAIR), has announced that both Volt Carbon's southern Ontario-based mineral processing operation (Toronto) and its subsidiary, Solid UltraBattery (Guelph), have been selected as recipients of the DAIR Green Fund.

The funded projects include: 1) "Development of High-Performance Carbon Materials for Aerospace Industries" and 2) "Advancements in Low-Temperature Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries." These initiatives aim to advance battery solutions for unmanned aerial systems and enhance the capabilities of graphite and graphene in aerospace materials.

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials and Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH) have shown that laser-induced graphene (LIG), patterned with femtosecond laser pulses, can serve as a versatile material for temperature/strain sensing, stray light absorption, and heat management for smart spacesuits and telescopes. 

Direct laser writing of laser-induced graphene (LIG). Image from: Advanced Functional Materials 

The team has developed a manufacturing technique that addresses the challenges posed by the harsh conditions that space equipment must function in. The scientists' new process uses precisely controlled laser pulses to transform a Kevlar's surface into a porous graphene structure, effectively converting ordinary Kevlar fabric into a multifunctional material. 

Pulsed laser micropropulsion (PLMP) offers a promising avenue for miniature spacecraft, yet conventional propellants face challenges in balancing efficiency and stability. Researchers from Wuhan University, Henan Academy of Sciences and Purdue University have proposed an optical-propulsion metastructure strategy using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to generate graphene-metal metastructures (GMM), which significantly enhances PLMP performance.

A) Illustration of PLMP mechanism and the possible applications of MOFs-derived GMM-based PLMP. B) Preparation schematic of GMM. Image from: Advanced Materials

MOFs, which consist of metal cations or clusters coordinated with organic ligands, can serve as ideal precursors for creating hybrid structures that combine the benefits of both carbon and metal components. By employing ultrafast laser interactions with MOFs, researchers have been able to synthesize GMMs with precisely controlled metal nanoparticle sizes, graphene layers, and inter-particle gaps, all in an ambient air environment. These GMMs exhibit remarkable properties, including high light absorption efficiency, enhanced energy transfer, and improved material stability.

Chinese researchers have reportedly discovered naturally occurring few-layer graphene in the lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e-5 probe, which provides new insights into the moon’s geological activities, evolutionary history, and environmental characteristics, broadening understanding of the complex mineral composition of lunar soil and offering information on resource utilization on the moon.

According to the research team from Jilin University, it is estimated that approximately 1.9 percent of the total interstellar carbon exists in the form of graphene, whose morphology and properties are determined by a specific formation process. Therefore, natural graphene can provide important reference and information for the geological evolution of celestial bodies and the in-situ resource utilization on the moon.

Solidion Technology, an advanced battery technology solutions developer, began trading on NASDAQ (ticker symbol “STI”) on February 5, 2024. Solidion is the merged entity between Honeycomb Battery Company (HBC, Dayton, Ohio) and Nubia Brand International Co., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), based in Dallas, Texas.

Some see electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as the next urban transportation technology breakthrough. At the heart of an eVTOL aircraft is a heavy battery pack. The amount of energy that can be stored in a battery pack with a reduced mass must be significantly increased before the eVTOL industry can literally take off. It is estimated that eVTOL aircraft needs a battery system with a gravimetric energy density > 400 Wh/kg. For an air taxi to carry more passengers, a battery cell energy density higher than 450 or even 500 Wh/kg will be required.

UK-based Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) and Space Engine Systems (SES) from Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in various areas of SES’s Hello series of Aerospace and Space vehicles, focusing on using graphene for hypersonic applications.

GIM is working on the development and commercialization of advanced graphene-based solutions for composites, particularly in Graphene Space Habitat,
and also Type V hydrogen storage tanks. GIM is the largest Tier 1 partner in the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester.

A team of researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley are reportedly leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to produce higher-quality graphene aerogel than is possible on Earth.

It was announced that this week, the Crew-6 astronauts onboard the space station completed work on the team’s investigation, which was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The results could provide new insights into the underlying physics of graphene aerogel synthesis and lead to the development of novel material products.

Advanced Material Development (AMD) has announced signing a further contract with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). AMD’s Radar absorbing technology is now being incorporated by AMD into foam panels and will be used by JPL during the system level electromagnetic compatibility test for the Europa Clipper spacecraft later this year.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft will perform dozens of close flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, gathering detailed measurements from multiple instruments, including the radar instrument, to investigate whether the moon could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clipper’s primary objective is to determine whether there are places below Europa’s surface that could support life.

Zentek recently announced a new research and development contract through Innovative Solutions Canada to test ZenARMOR™ nano-pigment in military grade, chromate-free, corrosion protection aerospace paint systems.

The testing will be conducted under the supervision of Dr. Qi Yang, and Dr. Naiheng Song, Research Officers at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Aerospace Research Centre’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Centre (AMTC).