The CTC Technology Centre has unveiled a study addressing the challenges posed by radiation on the microelectronics of onboard equipment in space missions. Carla Ortiz, a technologist from the Centre’s Advanced Materials and Nanomaterials unit, presented part of this research at the European Space Radiation Shielding Workshop, an international symposium organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, Netherlands.

The research is part of the SRPROTEC project, an initiative led by Alter Technology that focuses on developing new composite materials with enhanced shielding properties to counteract the effects of space radiation.

Specifically, the CTC researcher outlined the main criteria for selecting materials for this project, which is expected to take 36 months to complete. The primary criterion is that the materials must have shielding properties against radiation induced by galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar energetic particles (SEP) or high-energy charged particles.

The second criterion relates to the specifications of the application itself. As the materials are in direct contact with the microelectronics they are designed to protect, the study expresses a preference for materials with low electrical conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion.

Considering these criteria, along with other requirements related to factors such as thickness and loads, the study concludes that polymeric composites that synergistically integrate materials with both high and low atomic numbers must be developed. These new materials will form the foundation for further experimental work within the project.

The workshop, conducted exclusively in person, aimed to chart the current state of the art in Europe concerning radiological shielding for space applications and to identify areas for future research. In this context, radiation shielding is crucial for safeguarding sensitive space hardware from the hostile space environment, particularly electronic and electrical systems. Optimising this protection is considered one of the greatest challenges for future Lunar and Martian exploration.