Composites End Markets: New Space (2026)

Composite materials have always been enablers of the space economy. Their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to radiation and thermal extremes, and design versatility make them indispensable for nearly everything that flies beyond the atmosphere — from the use of carbon fiber for liquid oxygen (LOX) tanks to the honeycomb core sandwich panels of satellite bus structures. In just the past year, the New Space market has not only continued to grow, but has become a domain of urgency.

According to a 2025 World Economic Forum report, the space economy is expected to be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035 as satellite- and rocket-enabled technologies proliferate globally — an opportunity that translates into sustained and growing demand for composites at every level of the supply chain. According to BIS Research (Fremont, Calif., U.S.), the global advanced space composites market is forecast to grow from $1.47 billion in 2023 to $4.61 billion by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.11%.

Another large driver is the role dominance in space is playing in defense. Perhaps no theme was more prominent at the 2026 Space Symposium — the 41st installment of the event — than urgency driven by geopolitical competition. Space Systems Command’s Lieutenant General Philip Garrant, whose California-based command oversees a $15.6 billion budget, delivered a blunt assessment: the era of deliberate acquisition timelines is over. Rival space nations have improved their military space capabilities to the point where U.S. satellites are at genuine risk if warfare reaches orbit, and the response has been to adopt what Garrant called “a wartime footing” for acquisition.

Major General Stephen Purdy, top space acquisition adviser to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, echoed this, describing the billions of venture capital and private equity dollars now flowing into the sector as accelerant for a new generation of defense-oriented space programs.

The defense imperative shapes the broader market narrative in other ways. Where NASA was once the gravitational center of composites innovation in space, that pull is now shared between civil and defense programs. Panelists at the symposium noted that the Pentagon is scouring commercial capabilities to buy services rather than build its own new constellations — a shift that expands the addressable market for new space composites suppliers while increasing the emphasis on high-rate, repeatable production.

In the meantime, NASA’s Artemis program continues to generate composites demand, not only through its own mission cadence but through the commercial partnerships it anchors. At the Space Symposium’s Ignition Day session, NASA officials described an ambitious upcoming launch schedule that will bring more commercial partners to the lunar surface than ever before. Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA’s program executive for the Moon Base, told the audience that the agency has released multiple requests for information for commercial partners capable of building communications and position-navigation-timing networks, providing power systems, and developing spacecraft and landers capable of 8-megaton capacity — all areas where composites play enabling roles.

The bottom line? The growing demand for space applications continues to ripple through the composites supply chain in both volume and performance requirements. CompositesWorld’s coverage of the sector over the past year has involved a range of applications enabling rocket launches, lunar lander missions and satellite constellations, among other applications.

Launchers and propulsion systems

The launcher segment continues to be where the most dramatic composites advances are concentrated, driven by the need to simultaneously reduce structural mass and increase payload , and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) structures are central to that pursuit. For example, composite pressure vessels are being used in fuel delivery systems to meet the challenges of cryogenic propellant management. LOX, liquid hydrogen (LH₂) and liquid methane all require containment structures that resist permeation, maintain integrity at temperatures approaching absolute zero and survive the mechanical loads of launch while contributing minimal weight.

In Canada, NordSpace (Markham, Ontario) crossed a significant milestone in June 2026 with the installation of large-scale robotic automated fiber placement (AFP) systems in its Advanced Manufacturing for Aerospace Lab (AMA Lab). Working with Addcomp — the equipment division of Bespline (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada) — NordSpace is bringing in-house AFP manufacturing of flight tanks and primary structures for its Tundra light-lift launch vehicle, while scaling toward its Titan medium-lift platform. The technology enables linerless Type 5 tanks made entirely from composites using AFP, reducing vehicle dry mass in a program segment where margins are, as the company notes, very slim. NordSpace’s R&D agenda encompasses tanks up to 15 meters long and multiple meters in diameter, cryogenic propellant compatibility, and application of the same techniques to engine jackets, interstages, thrust structures and fairings — essentially the full structural architecture of a launch vehicle.

In June 2026, Sonaca Spain (formerly Aciturri Aerostructures), a Tier 1 supplier for the design, production and assembly of complex structural assemblies, announced completion of an integrated Type 5 space tank demonstrator featuring a shared cryogenic bulkhead design. The innovation promises up to 30% weight reduction for space launchers compared to conventional tank approaches, which is a significant competitive advantage for European launch programs seeking to reduce structural mass. The achievement, part of the ESA-supported CRETAN project, focuses on advanced Type 5 composite tanks for fuel and LOX.

In May 2026, Infinite Composites (Albuquerque, N.M., U.S.) announced an equipment expansion that augments automated production of large composite tanks, rocket motor casings, tubes and other high-performance structures with new winders, rail systems and metering machines. The expansion positions the company to meet growing demand from launch vehicle and satellite propulsion programs.

Herone GmbH’s (Dresden, Germany) braided carbon fiber/low-melt polyaryletherketone (CF/LMPAEK) tube system, featured in a CW article by Stewart Mitchell , addresses another aspect of propulsion systems: cryogenic fuel lines. Combining tape braiding and press molding in an automated process, the thermoplastic composite (TPC) tubes achieve 50-60% weight reduction versus conventional metallic fuel lines for LH₂ aircraft and space launcher applications. The company’s approach eliminates traditional joints, bellows and O-rings by co-consolidating flanges and fittings directly into the tube structure, reducing both weight and potential failure points. The double-wall, vacuum-insulated design also integrates a metallic permeation barrier within the composite wall itself. The use of LMPAEK enables welding, a capability that supports both manufacturing efficiency and potential on-orbit repair.

At the systems level, European research programs continue to advance the state of composite cryogenic tank manufacturing. Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM (Bremen, Germany) completed its HYTANK research project in June 2026, led by Airbus Operations GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), producing surface pretreatment, barrier coating and automated assembly processes for large-format, double-walled LH₂ tank structures. Although targeting aviation, the processes developed are applicable to space launcher tanks — and the work represents the kind of fundamental manufacturing science that will enable the next generation of composite propellant containment.

Reusable space transportation

This past year also saw advances in reusable spacecraft and launch systems — vehicles designed to return to Earth where they are refurbished and redeployed with the goal of reducing the cost of spaceflight.

In June 2026, Dawn Aerospace (ChristChurch), a New Zealand-Dutch aerospace company, closed a $25 million Series B funding round at a $195 million valuation, led by Balerion Space Ventures. The company has established itself as a provider of nontoxic chemical propulsion, with more than 200 thrusters deployed on 50+ satellites, and recently made history with what was reported as “the first privately developed aircraft to fly supersonic since the Concorde.” With revenue growing over 90% in the past year, Dawn plans to expand its operations significantly, including an in-orbit refueling service called Loop launching in 2028 and a Mach 3.7 flight program in Oklahoma beginning in 2027.

In April 2026, China’s Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT, Beijing, China) unveiled a 5-meter-diameter composite propulsion cabin, the largest single-piece composite structure ever produced in China for reusable launch vehicles. The module is composed of more than 60% composite materials and is engineered to withstand thousands of tons of axial pressure. Remarkably, the structure went from design to delivery in just 7 months, thanks to a highly parallel and collaborative R&D approach. CALT leadership views this milestone as a significant step forward in advancing China’s aerospace capabilities and scaling up production for future missions.

In October 2025, Inversion Space (Los Angeles, U.S.), a California-based reentry startup, unveiled its flagship lifting body spacecraft Arc, capable of delivering cargo from orbit to any location on Earth in under an hour. The vehicle can carry up to 500 pounds of payload, remain in orbit for up to 5 years and withstand speeds exceeding Mach 20 — making it suitable for defense, medical and emergency applications. Fully reusable and AI-powered, it can land within 50 feet of a target and cover a reentry range exceeding 1,000 kilometers. The company is targeting its first orbital flight in 2026, with long-term plans to deploy constellations of the spacecraft for rapid cargo access in critical scenarios.

Satellites: Production rate as a design requirement

Demand for composites for satellite production continues to intensify. The defining challenge of satellite constellation programs is no longer technical feasibility; it is production rate. Thousands of satellites must be manufactured, integrated and launched to fill the constellations that underpin broadband internet, navigation, Earth observation and increasingly, space-based defense architectures. This production imperative has brought automation and design for manufacturability into the foreground.

In October 2025, market intelligence group Novaspace (Paris, France) released the 28th edition of its annual space market report, forecasting the launch of more than 43,000 satellites by 2035 and a $665 billion market in manufacturing and launch services. Five mega-constellations are expected to account for 66% of launches, while defense spending remains the economic anchor at 48% of total market value.

In July 2026, Rocket Lab Corp. (Long Beach, Calif., U.S.) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Iridium (McLean, Va., U.S.), a global satellite communications provider, in a cash and stock deal valued at approximately $8 billion. The acquisition is being described as one of the most transformative deals in the space industry, combining Rocket Lab’s launch and satellite manufacturing capabilities with Iridium’s established global network, spectrum and partner ecosystem. The merged company aims to become a vertically integrated U.S. space entity, expanding into markets such as satellite IoT, direct-to-device communications and positioning, navigation and timing services. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, pending regulatory and stockholder approvals.

A prime example of the work taking place on constellation satellite programs is MDA Space’s Aurora satellite series. Airborne Aerospace B.V. (The Hague, Netherlands) and Bercella Srl (Parma, Italy) are supplying high-precision composite substrates for Sparkwing solar arrays — key components of the Aurora satellites. Airbus (Toulouse, France) is to supply more than 200 Sparkwing solar arrays. The fleet nature of the Aurora program and the involvement of multiple automated tape laying/fiber placement (ATL/AFP) suppliers shows that constellation-scale production rewards companies that have automated, repeatable manufacturing over those relying on labor-intensive hand layup.

Innovation in solar array technology itself is advancing rapidly. In May 2026, Suzhou Zenix Composites Co. Ltd. (Zenix, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China) announced a deployable on-orbit solar array made using smart composite materials that self-deploys and locks in position, achieving 30% conversion efficiency with a power-to-mass ratio 2-3X higher than traditional rigid panels. The rollable flexible array concept addresses one of satellite design’s enduring constraints: the need to package maximum solar power generation into minimal launch volume.

Composite materials are also playing a role in thermal management solutions for satellite design. In June 2026, Blueshift (Spencer, Mass., U.S.), a developer of thermal protection materials, was named winner in the commercialization category of the Aviation Week Space Tech Challenge Awards for its AeroZero tapes — thin, flexible thermal protection tapes designed for low-Earth orbit satellites and other aerospace applications. The tapes offer significantly lower thermal conductivity and diffusivity compared to traditional polyimide tapes, addressing the extreme temperature swings LEO satellites experience up to 16 times per day.

Off-the-shelf material solutions

All of this demand for new space applications, particularly for satellite programs, is driving the need for faster production, lower costs and high-performance materials suited for high-volume manufacturing.

To that end, three veteran composite suppliers — Patz Materials and Technologies (PMT, Benicia, Calif., U.S.), A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) and Rock West Composites (RWC, San Diego, Calif., U.S.) have partnered to develop a lower-cost, reduced-labor approach for lightweight, high modulus CFRP cored panels used in applications including satellite optical benches, solar array substrates, reflectors and modular building blocks for main structures.

By combining A&P’s QISO braided fabric with PMT’s Apex cellular core, the collaboration reduces material use and labor significantly, bringing core costs to one-tenth of traditional honeycomb alternatives while maintaining the low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and high stiffness required for space applications. RWC has validated the approach through structural and radio frequency (RF) reflectivity testing, confirming near-equivalent performance to heritage materials for solar array substrates and reflectors. The innovation also compresses design-to-production timelines from years to weeks and can cut materials qualification time from up to a decade down to just 1 year.

High-temperature solutions

Space flight not only requires lightweight material solutions, but also materials that can withstand extreme temperatures, including those during reentry. This requirement along with the need for high-temperature solutions for hypersonic aerospace and defense applications are driving demand for high-temp materials including ceramic matrix composite (CMC) structures capable of surviving sustained high-velocity atmospheric flight.

As CW executive editor Ginger Gardiner reported in August 2025, the high-temp materials landscape is being reshaped by new players proliferating across materials and manufacturing capacity, driven by demand from both space and defense programs that require materials capable of operating at temperatures beyond the reach of polymer matrix composites (PMC). A growing number of new materials, suppliers and manufacturing processes have emerged globally — from oxide fiber producers and prepreg systems to advanced C/C-SiC and ultra-high temperature CMC (UHTCMC) technologies. Key innovations focus on reducing production time and cost through automation, eliminating infiltration steps and enabling scalable manufacturing for higher part volumes.

On-orbit manufacturing and additive advances

One of the more forward-looking threads in composites’ New Space story involves manufacturing not on the ground, but in space itself. In May 2026, The Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA CAS) unveiled an advanced manufacturing method for CF/polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites designed for use in space, combining pultrusion molding with laser transmission welding to create strong, reliable structural components in zero-gravity environments. The technology addresses key challenges in on-orbit construction, including efficient fabrication and durable component connections, while overcoming limitations of traditional bonding methods. A scaled-down parabolic antenna truss prototype was successfully built to validate the approach, demonstrating its potential for automated assembly of large space structures such as solar power stations, antennas and lunar base components.

In June 2026, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.) demonstrated a patent-pending hybrid 3D printing method that enables origami-inspired composite structures without the need for molds, integrating fiber reinforcement with a claimed 90% reduction in cost. While not space-specific, such advances in mold-less composite fabrication have direct application to the low-volume, high-mix nature of new space hardware production.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Thermoplastic Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA) program is exploring how TPC could be used to build structures directly in orbit or on the Moon. Stewart Mitchell reported in August 2025 on a NASA collaboration with Agile Ultrasonics (Columbus, Ohio, U.S.) in which researchers have been developing and testing ultrasonic welding techniques to join carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite (CF/TPC) components under the extreme conditions of space. Early results are promising — welded structural brackets exceeded load requirements, with failures occurring in the base material rather than at the weld joint itself. While challenges around temperature measurement, bond quality detection and environmental testing remain, the program is laying critical groundwork for future in-space construction and assembly capabilities.

To the Moon

At the 41st Space Symposium, panelists described the lunar surface as being at an inflection point, comparing it to a continent-sized expansion of the Earth’s economy. Financial opportunities including in situ resource utilization, mining and even the relocation of data centers were discussed as near-term rather than distant possibilities.

For composites suppliers, the potential to support manufacturing of lightweight lunar landing struts, propellant tanks, habitat shells and/or thermal protection systems (TPS) represents a meaningful and growing opportunity.

Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.), which featured prominently in CW’s 2025 coverage as the company responsible for the Blue Ghost lunar lander, has continued to expand aggressively. In May 2026, the company announced it had doubled its Texas campus, adding 144,000 square feet of space and a cleanroom 4X larger than its previous facility. The expansion enhances its carbon fiber composites, propulsion, robotics and 3D printing activities — infrastructure needed to scale production of both its Elytra orbital vehicle and future lunar landers.

In July 2026, Firefly announced it has secured a $144 million NASA CLPS contract for its sixth lunar mission, targeting a 2028 launch to deliver three NASA science instruments to the Moon’s near side. The company plans to complete the mission in approximately 2 years — half the time of previous efforts — by using its proven lander design, which incorporates composites in structural panels, support struts and lander legs. The mission aims to demonstrate that commercial lunar delivery can be rapid, repeatable, and reliable, supporting NASA’s Artemis program and Moon Base initiative.

Urgency and scale

What makes the 2026 landscape of composites in New Space distinctive compared to a year ago is the combination of urgency and scale. The ATA CFT Guangzhou Co. Ltd. (Guangzhou, China) 2025 global carbon fiber composites market report, released in June 2026, documented record demand of 224,510 metric tons globally — with the composites fabricating index reaching its strongest reading of the year in June 2026, climbing to 57.6 on a surge in new orders according to the Gardner Business Index. While aerospace and defense are not the only drivers of that figure, the sustained expansion of New Space programs contributes meaningfully to carbon fiber demand, particularly for aerospace-grade T700 and T800 materials used in structural applications.

The urgency and scale come from the geopolitical environment that has put defense space programs on a wartime footing and accelerated commercial programs in its wake. It also comes from the ambition of the cislunar economy taking shape — lunar landers, moon bases, cislunar communications networks — all of which require composite structures that don’t yet exist in production-ready form.

The composites industry’s response has been characteristically practical: more AFP systems, more automated inspection and more material qualification. That practical response underscores that composites are no longer just a material option for New Space, they are a truly enabling technology for gains in payload fraction, production rate, thermal protection and mission reliability. As the industry moves from prototype to production at scale, and from Earth orbit toward the Moon and beyond, composites continue to be a technology that helps to bridge our ambition and next giant leap into the cosmos.