Coatings: the hidden surface behind space missions - with Acktar

Episode 82 of The Space Industry podcast by satsearch is a conversation with Dr. Tamas Rev, Materials and Mechanical Lead at Acktar, about the world of coatings for space missions, canvassing state-of-the-art stray light mitigation and thermal management.

Acktar is a specialist provider of optical coatings and protective solutions, including space-rated ultra-black coatings and foils that improve the efficiency and performance of mission equipment.

In this episode, Tamas and satsearch COO Narayan Prasad Nagendra discuss:

• Deep space stray light mitigation: Acktar's Fractal Black™ coating is critical for stray light mitigation in high-profile, deep space observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Europa Clipper, which ensures optimal performance by minimizing unwanted light for clear data acquisition.
• Extreme environment thermal and stray light management: The BepiColombo mission uses a complementary pair of coatings: Acktar White™ for thermal management and Magic Black™ for stray light control, demonstrating a tailored approach to handle the combined challenges of intense heat and light in harsh environments.
• Lunar thermal regulation: The Chandrayaan-2 mission utilized the Nano Black™ coating to provide essential temperature regulation on the lunar surface, addressing a key thermal management concern for the mission's success.
• Small satellite optical contamination control: Spectral Black™ coatings are applied to smaller satellite platforms, like the CanX series and other LEO satellites, to reduce optical contamination and light pollution, which is increasingly important as the number of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites grows. The general approach to all these missions involves customizing coatings to meet a wide range of mission-specific optical and thermal requirements.

You can find out more about Acktar here on their satsearch supplier hub. And if you would like to learn more about the space industry and our work at satsearch, please take a look at our blog.

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