Blueshift study proves optimal thermal protection delivery for LEO satellites using AeroZero tapes
Thermal protection system (TPS) tapes offer 19 times lower thermal conductivity and six times lower diffusivity, ensuring efficient, reliable satellite performance in extreme space conditions.
Source (All Images) | Blueshift
Recent test modeling by Blueshift (Spencer, Mass., U.S.) has proven its AeroZero thermal protection system (TPS) tapes deliver improvements in passive thermal management for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
The testing concludes that Blueshift’s tapes provide 19 times lower thermal conductivity (0.008 watts per meter-Kelvin) and 6 times lower thermal diffusivity when compared to traditional polyimide tapes.
With satellite components exposed to extreme temperature swings, ranging from -100°C to +120°C every 90 minutes — a cycle that repeats roughly 16 times per day — maintaining thermal stability is vital to ensuring a spacecraft’s reliability and lifespan. Leveraging the open-cell structure of AeroZero tapes, Blueshift says that engineers can create a thermal barrier that limits temperature differentials, helping to create smoother, more predictable component performance.
AeroZero thermal tapes.
The tapes also function as a structured vacuum gap that significantly limits conductive heat transfer and insulates sensitive electronics and batteries. Even those positioned near heat-intensive solar array and between sensitive components are protected — providing robust thermal protection for the cyclical thermal events experienced by spacecraft in LEO.
Blueshift’s work with AeroZero technology aligns with its wider research into sustainable spaceflight and use of thermal management technology for more controlled atmospheric re-entry and safer destruction of orbital debris.
Read more about this technology in the CW article, ““Structured air” TPS safeguards composite structures.”
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