For nearly four decades, collaboration with NASA has pushed materials science to new limits. Spacecraft materials must perform reliably in environments defined by radiation, atomic oxygen exposure, thermal extremes, and long mission durations.

Since the mid-1980s, Dunmore materials have supported major NASA programs including the Space Shuttle program, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Juno spacecraft mission to Jupiter. These missions have helped build the flight heritage that informs how our research and development teams design, test, and qualify materials today.

Early spacecraft materials programs focused primarily on meeting defined specifications. Today, the emphasis has shifted toward mission assurance—ensuring materials perform reliably over the full life of a spacecraft in highly specific environments.

Several key changes have shaped this evolution: 1) Systems-Level Reliability, and 2) Expanded Environmental Testing

Materials are now evaluated as part of the larger spacecraft system, ensuring they perform reliably under combined stresses rather than isolated conditions. Modern testing simulates harsh orbital conditions, including:

• Atomic oxygen exposure
• Ultraviolet radiation
• Charged particle radiation
• Thermal vacuum cycling
• Combined environmental stresses
  

These simulations help verify that films, coatings, and laminates maintain performance throughout the mission.

Why Dunmore Works for NASA Missions

• Greater Traceability and Process Control. NASA programs require rigorous documentation and manufacturing controls. Today’s qualification processes include detailed lot traceability, contamination management, and comprehensive data packages that support mission assurance.
• Collaborative Engineering. Dunmore’s R&D teams work closely with NASA primes and spacecraft designers to tailor films, coatings, and tapes for specific mission applications. This collaboration helps optimize materials early in the design process.
• Flight Heritage and Long-Term Stability. Flight heritage and property retention data have become increasingly important as missions extend over many years. Long-term aging studies and qualification through previous flight history provide added confidence in material performance.
• Multifunctional Material Design. Modern spacecraft materials often perform multiple roles, combining thermal control, electrostatic discharge protection, environmental durability, and contamination resistance in a single solution.

“Every mission has unique environmental demands, engineering constraints, and qualification requirements. Our role at Dunmore is to work closely with each customer to understand those mission parameters and translate them into materials solutions that meet NASA’s rigorous standards. From thermal performance to electrostatic control and contamination management, we collaborate throughout the design and qualification process to ensure the final material not only meets specification but performs reliably in the exact conditions the spacecraft will face.”

Robin Kobren, Senior Research Chemist at Dunmore

DUN-SHIELD™ is a great example of a customer solution that works for our customers’ NASA missions. Protecting sensitive electronics from electrostatic discharge is an area where collaboration with customers is essential. Products such as DUN-SHIELD™, approved by NASA for protecting electronics during production, are designed to integrate smoothly into manufacturing and cleanroom environments.

The process begins with evaluating the customer’s Electrostatic Dissipative Protection (ESD) risk points, device sensitivity, and manufacturing conditions. Based on this analysis, Dunmore recommends materials tailored to the application, considering factors such as surface resistivity, charge decay, adhesion, cleanliness, and optical requirements.

This collaborative approach ensures that ESD protection becomes an integrated part of the manufacturing workflow while maintaining the strict cleanliness and reliability standards required for spacecraft systems.

As missions become longer and environments more demanding, the need for reliable, high-performance materials continues to grow. By combining decades of flight heritage with rigorous testing and collaborative engineering, Dunmore continues to deliver materials designed to meet NASA’s highest standards for mission success.