Speakers
Description
Modern space missions increasingly rely on high-performance commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics to maximize processing capabilities. However, traditional aluminum shielding forces design trade-offs: thick metallic walls add significant mass without addressing the substantial heat generated by modern processors. To overcome these size, weight, and power (SWaP) limitations, we developed a lightweight, non-metallic dual-layer polymer composite that combines radiation protection and thermal dissipation within a single conformal architecture. This system pairs a high-attenuation metal-oxide polymer composite (MOPC) layer for radiation shielding with a fiber-reinforced polymer composite (FRPC) layer engineered for exceptional lateral thermal conductivity (3.0 - 3.8 W/m·K). Ground evaluation demonstrated that the MOPC layer delivers up to seven times higher mass attenuation than aluminum in low-photon-energy regimes typical of electron-dominated space environments. The integrated material architecture successfully withstood 600 krad(Si) total ionizing dose and 500 thermal-vacuum cycles (-20 °C to 125 °C) without cracking or delamination, while meeting stringent NASA ASTM E595 outgassing standards. When applied as localized spot shielding, the composite architecture reduced total shielding mass by 70% to 85% compared to conventional aluminum enclosures. Finally, the environmental durability of this dual-layer technology was validated under operational flight conditions via integration onto camera control PCBs aboard a suborbital sounding rocket. The recovered flight hardware demonstrated pristine structural cohesion and mechanical strength, successfully surviving launch and atmospheric reentry forces. Together, these findings establish a scalable, multifunctional material platform that eliminates traditional structural-thermal boundaries, enabling the safe and efficient deployment of next-generation electronics in compact spacecraft.