Composites end markets: New space (2025)

Composite materials are redefining what is possible in space exploration. Their high strength, light weight and versatility make them indispensable in current and future space missions. NASA’s Artemis program, for example, which features many enabling composite technologies, has had numerous successful missions — small steps setting the stage for returning humans to the moon, which will be a giant leap toward an eventual manned Mars mission. Meanwhile, a growing number of satellites orbiting the Earth continue to enhance our communication and navigational capabilities. Private companies are also actively partnering with space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) in new and exciting ways, using composites to create a variety of mission-enabling parts and structures including launch systems, landing struts, load-bearing structures, propulsion systems, thermal protection systems (TPS), telescoping arrays on satellites and many others.

The commercial spaceflight industry, often referred to as New Space, has become a burgeoning economy, with composite materials playing an increasing role. According to a recent report from the World Economic Forum (Cologne, Germany), the space economy is expected to be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035 as satellite- and rocket-enabled technologies become more prevalent, which translates into a lot of opportunity for composites. According to BIS Research (Fremont, Calif., U.S.), the global advanced space composites market is forecast to grow from $1.47 billion in 2023 to $4.61 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.11%. And according to Stratview Research (Detroit, Mich., U.S.), the space prepreg market alone — with players such as Hexcel Corp., Toray Advanced Composites, Teijin Ltd. and Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials — is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2024-2032, reaching a value of $320 million.

Composite payloads being delivered to space — for both satellites and space vehicles — represent a large demand for prepreg materials, used to construct everything from body structures to instruments. Filament-wound structures are ideal for rocket components, pressure vessels enabling propulsion systems and other cylindrical structures such as landing struts. Meanwhile, advances in composites additive manufacturing (AM) and nanomaterials are making a host of mission-enabling solutions possible.

Satellites

Much of the increasing demand for high-performance composites tailored for space applications is being driven by private space companies and the need for efficient satellite manufacturing. Modern satellites often feature a composite framework to reduce overall weight while maintaining rigidity and structural soundness; NASA and the ESA have both incorporated carbon fiber composites extensively in satellite designs. In addition, numerous commercial satellites — including navigational and communications satellites — are being produced by commercial space companies both in collaboration with space agencies and for the private sector. These types of satellites are often deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO) or medium Earth orbit (MEO) in groups known as constellations, working together as a system to provide extensive coverage, enabling communication, navigation and Earth observation services. Communication satellite constellations include SpaceX’s Starlink and Eutelsat’s OneWeb; navigation satellites include the U.S. GPS and Europe’s Galileo systems. The fleet nature of these types of satellite constellations demands an approach that allows for higher production rates and repeatability.

Airbus Netherlands B.V. (Leiden) has selected two companies, Airborne Aerospace B.V. (The Hague, Netherlands) and Bercella Srl (Parma, Italy), to supply high-precision composite substrates for Sparkwing solar arrays, a key component of MDA Space’s Aurora satellite series. The solar arrays feature two wings with five panels each, providing a photovoltaic area over 30 square meters. Under the MDA Aurora contract, Airbus will supply more than 200 Sparkwing solar arrays. Given the volume needed, Airbus selected multiple suppliers for Aurora, seeking out companies equipped to meet the production demands by using solutions such as automated tape laying/fiber placement (ATL/AFP).

Production of the Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites, which will enhance the current Galileo satellite navigation system, is currently underway at Airbus’ Friedrichshafen facility in Germany. These advanced satellites feature lightweight composite structures from Beyond Gravity (Zurich, Switzerland) along with electric propulsion, fully digital payloads and enhanced navigation antennas, offering improved accuracy and flexibility. The G2 design features a lightweight sandwich construction of aluminum honeycomb bonded to carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) skins — a design similar to what Beyond Gravity supplied for another satellite constellation, the ESA’s MetOp weather satellites.

Beyond Gravity is also a key supplier for the Eutelsat OneWeb satellite program and has contributed several products for the company’s satellite broadband network. These include satellite structures, thermal insulation, custom transport containers and a CFRP satellite dispenser, which functions as the interface between the rocket and satellites, ensuring safe LEO deployment.

Kerberos Engineering (Murcia, Spain) specializes in deployable satellite solar array structures made from CFRP components. These structures incorporate 0/90 woven TeXtreme spread tow fabrics from Oxeon (Borås, Sweden) along with an adaptation of vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), enabling the rapid and uniform infusion of resin. The company’s production process is said to have reduced manufacturing resources by 90% compared to traditional unidirectional prepreg materials, which necessitate a labor-intensive, layer-by-layer application.

Premade parts, 3D printing

Meanwhile, Rock West Composites (RWC, San Diego, Calif., U.S.) is using its line of “off-the-shelf” Strato products to enable rapid turnaround on high-quality space flight hardware. Products include spaceflight-ready high modulus carbon fiber composite plates, sandwich panels and solar array substrates to significantly reduce lead time and cost, while helping define structural properties of satellites.

Recently, RWC’s Strato panels were used to support NASA’s DiskSat program, a disk-shaped satellite design that has the potential to revolutionize smaller space missions through its high-power, large aperture form factor that fits in the circular cross-section of a rocket fairing.

Advances in 3D printing are another approach to streamlining production of satellite components. In March, space infrastructure company Sidus Space (Cape Cavaveral, Fla., U.S.) announced the successful launch and deployment of its LizzieSat satellite. It uses a flame-retardant 3D printing material from Markforged (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) known as Onyx FRA along with continuous carbon fiber to reinforce the satellite structure. The accuracy of the 3D printed parts is such that they can snap together, eliminating the need for metal screws.

3D printing also offers a quick way to design the tooling necessary to manufacture composite structures. Opterus Research and Development (Loveland, Colo., U.S.) uses a high-temperature composite 3D printer from AON3D (Quebec, Canada) to manufacture tooling for its deployable satellite boom structures made with high-strain composites. Opterus designs molds and tools that are then printed using Syensqo’s (Brussels, Belgium) Ketaspire PEEK AM Filament CF10 LS1, a carbon fiber-filled polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The structures manufactured using this tooling can be up to 30 meters long and can roll out up to 100 times their stowed length.

Carbon nanomaterials

Graphene and nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes (CNT) are used in numerous applications that rely on electrical conductivity and thermal management.

ESA’s recent HITECH project, led by Adamant Composites Ltd. (Patras, Greece), used graphene-enhanced prepregs and adhesives to mature materials and manufacturing technology for producing thermally and electrically optimized carbon fiber composite sandwich panels for use on space structures such as satellites.

In 2021, advanced composites manufacturer Patz Materials & Technologies (Benicia, Calif., U.S.), and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL, Livermore, Calif., U.S.) teamed up to design composite housings to support optics used in small satellites. The project replaced Invar in the monolithic optic housings with a molding compound comprising PMT-F16 epoxy resin modified with CNT and reinforced with 6K tow high modulus carbon fiber with 60% fiber content. The resulting housings deliver near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), 80% less weight and reduced lead time for high-volume, SmallSat production.

 

Launchers

The first — and perhaps biggest — challenge for any space application is overcoming Earth’s gravity during launch. Every potential area for saving weight for any space launch must be considered. In recent years, many designs and iterations for launch vehicles have considered or involved composite materials. Rocket casings made from filament-wound carbon fiber composites, for example, provide the necessary tensile strength while being significantly lighter than traditional steel or aluminum alternatives. This reduction in mass contributes directly to fuel efficiency and increased payload capacity.

Rocket Lab (Long Beach, Calif., U.S.) was one of the first all-carbon fiber composite launch vehicles on the scene with its Electron rocket. CFRP was used for all of Electron’s primary structures including the payload fairing. Since 2019, the vehicle has become the second most frequently launched rocket in the U.S. and has made an impact in making SmallSat launches a regular occurrence.

In 2021, building on its experience with Electron, Rocket Lab unveiled a larger CFRP launch vehicle, the 8-ton payload-class Neutron. The vehicle is designed to transform space access by delivering reliable and cost-effective launch services for satellite mega-constellations, deep space missions and human spaceflight.

In August 2024, Rocket Lab announced the installation of a custom-built AFP machine in its Neutron rocket production line in Middle River, Maryland. The 99-ton, 12-meter-tall robotic machine, developed by Electroimpact (Mukilteo, Wash., U.S.), automates the production of CFRP rocket structures, as well as other Neutron components. Able to lay down 100 meters of CFRP per minute, the machine includes a real-time inspection system and is expected to save over 150,000 manufacturing hours.

In February 2024, Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.), another player in CFRP rockets, celebrated the expansion of its Rocket Ranch in Texas, doubling its manufacturing space and adding advanced machinery to support Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and a co-developed medium launch vehicle (MLV). The expansion included new buildings, engine test stands and an AFP machine from Ingersoll Machine Tools Inc. (Rockville, Ill., U.S.). Firefly aims to enhance launch structure production efficiency and reduce costs, while also expanding its headquarters and mission operations centers to accommodate more employees and missions.

Firefly’s all-CFRP Alpha is a two-stage, liquid-fueled launch vehicle optimized for carrying small satellites, CubeSats and other small and medium payloads to LEO at a competitive cost.

Composite lattice structures are also increasingly being used in space launcher and interstage (the section connecting two stages of a rocket) designs due to their combination of lightweight properties, high strength and structural efficiency. These structures comprise a network of interconnecting struts or beams, often forming repetitive geometric patterns, such as triangles or hexagons.

Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA, Capua, Italy) uses a parallel winding technique with dry fiber followed by resin infusion. The result is an interlaced anisogrid with uncut, continuous tows. CIRA’s patented process produces ribs ranging in cross-section from 4 to 400 square millimeters, and has been used by Avio (Colleferro, Italy) to manufacture the interstage for the Vega-C space launcher, first flown in 2022. Since then, CIRA has further demonstrated this method’s scalability, producing a large central tube and long instrument boom for satellites and a conical payload adapter for launchers.

Meanwhile, other companies and new startups are joining the commercial space launch market at a rapid pace. Toyota Group (Toyota City, Japan) recently announced a $44.3 million investment in Interstellar Technologies Inc. (Hokkaido, Japan), a Japanese startup that is developing launch vehicles, including the CFRP Zero rocket, targeted for a 2025 launch, and a heavy-lift rocket known as Deca, for the 2030s. The collaboration aligns with Japan’s goal of achieving 30 domestic launches annually by early next decade.

 

Reusable space vehicles

Reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) are another trend in launch systems, designed to return to Earth and be used multiple times, saving materials and costs. Constructing rocket stages with composite materials can reduce launch costs and fuel efficiency while maintaining the durability and structural integrity needed for multiple launches.

Dawn Aerospace’s (ChristChurch, New Zealand) Mk-II Aurora is a key example. A rocket-powered spaceplane that can fly to 100-kilometer altitudes — the edge of space — Aurora is suitable for microgravity research, Earth observation and defense applications. Designed to be rapidly reusable, the aircraft demonstrated same day usability in October 2024 with two successful flights. The company is collaborating with Com&Sens (Eke, Belgium) to develop smart composite-overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) using embedded sensors.

In addition to carbon fiber, ceramic matrix composites (CMC) are also playing a large role in applications like the Sierra Space (Louisville, Colo., U.S.) Dream Chaser spaceplane. CMC’s ability to withstand and remain stable in extremely high temperatures and excellent thermal shock resistance make it attractive for applications like rocket exhaust nozzels and TPS.

Dream Chaser’s primary structure is carbon fiber composite with TPS tiles made from a novel carbon fiber-reinforced silicon-carbide (C/SiC) CMC. The tiles, similar to those used in the Space Shuttle program, were designed in cooperation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Tenn., U.S.) and aim to provide a high-performance thermal barrier during atmospheric re-entry. In February 2025, Sierra Space, in collaboration with NASA, successfully completed and passed its Joint Test 10B milestone for the aircraft, which aims to transport supplies to the International Space Station.

Meanwhile, at JEC 2024, CIRA displayed the 1.3 × 0.9 × 0.4-meter nose cone TPS for the ESA Space Rider, an uncrewed shuttle for 1-2 month scientific/commercial missions in orbit, designed to be reused up to six times. CIRA and partner Petroceramics (Stezzano, Bergamo, Italy) are responsbile for the entire Space Rider TPS which also includes twin hinged body flaps and hinge TPS plus the windward assembly of six landing gear doors and 15 curved and flat shingles. CIRA handles design, analysis and CFRP layups, which are sent to Petroceramics for pyrolysis and LSI and then returned to CIRA for full qualification testing.

All components use the patented ISiComp C/SiC technology that includes a 1-day post-LSI deposit of a dendritic SiC layer onto the CMC, enabling it to withstand 1500°C for six cycles of plasma wind tunnel testing each representing re-entry with a record-breaking 90-minute total exposure. ISiComp also includes joining of pyrolized parts during LSI to achieve the complex 0.7 × 0.9 × 0.3-meter actuated body flaps. The TPS qualification is ongoing, targeting vehicle integration in 2026 and launch in 2027.

 

Lunar landers

Several companies have been working to produce lunar landing modules as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a part of the overarching Artemis program.

In late 2023, Intuitive Machines (Houston, Texas, U.S.) landed its Nova-C lander on the Moon, demonstrating navigation, landing and communication technologies, and to assess a potential future Artemis III landing site. The IM-1 mission was the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the Moon since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, as well as enabling the first commercial lunar landing. The Nova-C lander is equipped with two Scorpius Space Launch Co. (SSLC, Torrance, Calif., U.S.) Pressurmaxx Type 5 carbon fiber composite pressure vessels, that enable its cryogenic LO₂/LCH₄ propulsion system. In addition, the Nova-C lunar lander features landing struts manufactured by Rock West Composites.

In January 2025, Firefly Aerospace successfully launched its Blue Ghost lunar lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The lander is scheduled to land on the Moon in early March 2025. Once on the lunar surface, Blue Ghost will operate 10 NASA instruments, conducting experiments like lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging and dust mitigation.

The lander’s core components, including the panels, struts, legs, harnesses, avionics, batteries and thrusters, were designed and built in-house using the same flight-proven carbon fiber composites used in Firefly’s Alpha rocket and Elytra orbital vehicle.

 

Exploration modules

Recent years have also seen the successful deployment of numerous composites-intensive exploration vehicles. In July 2022, NASA revealed the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope — an infrared space telescope that makes it possible to look farther into the universe than ever before. A high modulus carbon fiber/cyanate ester prepreg provides the strength and stiffness necessary to support the telescope’s mirrors, instruments and other elements — totaling 2,400-plus kilograms (2.5 tons) of hardware. The structure is also responsible for keeping the telescope steady during long periods despite extreme temperatures.

In August 2024, NASA’s composite solar sail system (ACS3) was successfully deployed in space. The 12U CubeSat carrying the sail was built by NanoAvionics (Vilnius, Lithuania) and launched by Rocket Lab in April 2024. The sail’s boom system, made from flexible polymer and carbon fiber, enables it to be compactly stored in a CubeSat and then unfurled to cover 860 square feet. The ACS3 relies on solar energy to propel the spacecraft without propellant, potentially lowering the cost of deep-space missions. Future designs could scale up to 5,400 square feet and be used for structures on the Moon or Mars.

Since its landing on Mars in 2021, NASA’s rover Perseverance has completed four scientific campaigns. Perseverance began a fifth campaign in December 2024, cresting the Jezero Crater rim, a location of geologic interest that will help scientists further understand Mars’ past formation.

Structural landing deck panels on the Perseverance Mars rover use prepreg materials from Toray Advanced Composites USA Inc. (Morgan Hill, Calif., U.S.). The rover also released an autonomous helicopter, Ingenuity, used to test the ability to fly robotic craft in the thin Martian atmosphere. Ingenuity’s rotor blades are constructed from carbon fiber prepreg and foam core, and its legs are made from carbon fiber composite tubes.

Landing Perseverance on Mars was enabled by an aeroshell entry vehicle constructed using carbon fiber/cyanate ester prepreg for the heat shield’s structural support.

In November 2024, Intuitive Machines unveiled a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) prototype known as the Moon RACER (Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover). The autonomous, pickup truck-sized rover, designed for NASA’s Artemis campaign, can carry two astronauts, 400 kilograms of cargo and tow a trailer with an additional 800-kilogram capacity. Equipped with a robotic arm, the vehicle can climb or descend 20-degree slopes. While materials have not been confirmed, composite materials may likely play a role in the LTV’s design.

Pressure vessels

We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a more general look at the role composite pressure vessels (CPVs) are playing in so many of these applications, storing cryogenic fuels and oxidizers for propulsion systems, as well as enabling life support systems for crewed missions. The light weight of CPVs improves overall efficiency of launch vehicles and their high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and low CTE align with the demanding requirements of space exploration.

Infinite Composites (Tulsa, Okla., U.S.) supplies Type 5 tanks — linerless composite pressure vessels that eliminate the weight of a metal or plastic liner — sized 5 to 325 liters for use in compressed and cryogenic applications in spacecraft as well as aviation and ground transportation applications on Earth. The company claims its Type 5 tanks have up to 40% less mass with up to 50% less cost versus traditional space industry CFRP-wrapped metal liner COPVs. It has a portfolio of tanks certified to AIAA S-081B-2018 for space systems and has worked with SpaceX, Blue Origin and five different NASA centers. Its tanks flew on two GEO satellites in 2024 and are planned for two lunar lander missions to be completed by 2026.

The low CTE of linerless Type 5 carbon fiber tanks offers additional benefits. SSLC uses a unibody construction for its Preessurmaxx Type 5 carbon fiber composite tanks that not only contributes to the uniform CTE of the tank, but also makes the tank suitable for loadbearing applications. SSLC’s tank configurations combine primary and secondary support structures into one single tank offering improved stiffness and strength. The ultimate aim is to facilitate rocket designs that use propellant tanks as primary load-bearing elements of the vehicle.

 

The work continues

The exploration of deep space and potential human colonization of other planets demands materials that can endure the unknown. The applications covered in this article are just some of the latest that are part of today’s new golden age of space exploration. Ongoing, intensive research is focused on developing smart composites that integrate sensing technologies to monitor structural health in real time. Such innovations could lead to safer missions with less reliance on extensive manual checks.

Moreover, as missions take us farther from Earth and out into the solar system, the ability to 3D print in low-Earth gravity with feedstock and fiber reinforcement affords the ability to build structures on-demand in space. The potential use of local materials on extraterrestrial bodies combined with advanced binding agents may eventually be used to create composites directly on-site for building infrastructure. As research and technology evolve, composites will continue to shape humanity’s journey deeper into the cosmos, fostering a new era where space travel is more efficient, safe and ambitious than ever before.