Benefits for Europe

This material could reduce waste resulting from space missions, and would be ideal for reusable launchers. “Implementing this technology into our systems could have enormous benefits for space transportation,” says ESA’s Bernard Decotignie, “It will help develop reusable space infrastructure and reduce mission costs. This really proves what European innovation can do for the space sector.”

CompPair Chief Technology officer Robin Trigueira said, “I’m excited by the autonomy and durability benefits we can bring for the future spacecrafts and launchers, closing the gap between science-fiction and reality! This project is a major step for CompPair in the space sector, HealTech is unlocking unprecedented technological advancement for composite material health monitoring and management, clearly highlighting the possibilities brought by healable composites for reusable space structure costs efficiency.”

Head of research and development for CompPair, Cecilia Scazzoli explains, “I’m thrilled that we have demonstrated that HealTech composites with health monitoring and heating systems show autonomous damage sensing and healing and high resistance to micro-cracking. This makes them suited to the demanding requirements of propellant tanks and reusable space structures, and paves the way for lighter, more maintainable spacecraft components.”