Robust and Autonomous Space Weather Charge Mitigation Coatings

Abstract

National Space Weather Strategy and Action plan calls for the need to enhanceProtection of National Security, Homeland Security, and Commercial Assets and Operations against Effects of Space Weather. Extreme space weather event like solar flares, cosmic rays, and radiation belts cause ionizing radiation that can damage electronics, solar arrays, and optical systems on satellites reducing their functionality and lifetimes, by inducing an ionic charge on the spacecraft’s surface, when a spacecraft fly in and out of the ionosphere. This negative charge buildup can lead to ion sputtering/arcing, and producing irreparable damage in spacecraft components. Therefore, the local application of materials systems that can passively mitigate the negative charge build up by emitting the electron back into space, while improving resistance to erosion during ion sputtering is of interest. Accordingly, Faraday Technology is developing a low-cost, efficient and scalable manufacturing process for the local deposition of lightweight passive highly emissive and erosion resistant coating onto spacecraft viable substrates that can mitigate charging and erosion effects from ionizing radiation. The composite coating showed a ~1500% increase in maximum (Emax) total electron yield over bare aluminum, extending by 4 times the range of electron yields between crossover energies >1, and demonstrated the potential for erosion resilience in modeled International Space Station plasma erosion conditions. The composite coating could be applied to various spacecraft platforms include spacecraft skin, solar arrays, circuit boards, and emitters such that their lifetime, effectiveness and durability within LEO/GEO environments events can be enhanced. Acknowledgements:The financial support of NASA SBIR/STTR program through contract No.80NSSC22PB020 is acknowledged.