On the Development of a Space Satellite Mirror with Intrinsic Self-Healing Properties

Abstract

In the aerospace industry the demand for very strong and light components is a permanent objective and for this matter composite materials began to be used at large scales in construction of space structures. The presence of micrometeoroids and orbital debris in space, particularly in the lower earth orbit, presents a continuous hazard to orbiting satellites, spacecraft, and the International Space Station. Among the 8700 objects larger than 10 cm in Earth Orbits, only about 6% are operational satellites and the remainder is space debris. Likewise, a major challenge for space missions is the material selection due to the fact that in space materials present a higher degradation rate and they are subjected to wear and structural damage, especially when facing extreme environmental conditions. In this paper, a self-healing concept embedded into a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite parabolic satellite mirror is under development at COMOTI Research & Development Institute for Gas Turbines. The goal of the research is to provide a material that increases the operational life of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The work addresses two different but interconnected fields, material science for developing a multifunctional composite material having an embedded self-healing system and aerospace field for developing a new, lightweight structure. The self-healing system under study consists in a blend of microcapsules containing variations of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) monomers, 5-Vinyl-2-norbornene (VNB), 5-Ethylidene-2-norbornene (5E2N or ENB) and ethylene glycol dicyclopentenyl ether methacrylate (EGDP).