Syensqo solutions in space: from space suits to spaceships
More than half a century after the first human being set foot on the Moon, space exploration continues to accelerate, and Syensqo remains an active contributor.
From early government-led programs to today’s international and commercial space initiatives, materials innovation has been a constant driver of progress. Over the past few years, renewed momentum across public agencies and private companies has enabled development of continually-advancing launch systems, spacecraft and exploration missions, and Syensqo continues to support this evolution with high-performance materials.
An example is the successful launch of Artemis I from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on November 16, 2022. Syensqo was proud to be part of this historic mission by providing MX4926 ablative materials for use in the Artemis solid rocket motor nozzles.
“Syensqo materials were on board the Apollo 11 mission that sent humans to the Moon for the first time," explains Bjorn Ballien, Space and Launch Marketing Manager at Syensqo. "And we are thrilled to continue providing customers with material solutions to overcome the most challenging environments the space industry experiences today and will experience in future missions.”
Customer requirements in launch and space applications are centered on quality and reliability. With crewed missions and extremely valuable payloads, materials must perform exactly as designed, every time. With more than 50 years of experience and a strong commitment to product quality, Syensqo continues to be a trusted partner for mission success.
A 50-year legacy of market-leading materials for space exploration
Syensqo materials were on board the Apollo 11 mission that sent humans to the Moon for the first time, back in July 1969. The Group’s Udel® polysulfone (PSU) polymer was developed in 1965 and used to manufacture the visors on Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong’s space suits. Udel® PSU was selected for its toughness, transparency and ability to withstand extremely high temperatures.
But Syensqo’s involvement in space exploration goes back even further than this.
In the 1950s, scientists working on the earliest space programs were searching for materials capable of withstanding the intense heat generated by rocket engines and atmospheric re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Their work led them to ablative materials originally developed for industrial applications by Syensqo.
Ablatives provide thermal protection systems (TPS) on rocket motor nozzles. As hot gases exit the motor, the material chars and forms an insulating layer that protects the nozzle structure. Syensqo’s ablatives have been used in many landmark programs, including Gemini, Saturn and Apollo. They were present in the rocket motor that slowed the lunar module carrying Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts to the Moon in 1969. From the 1970s until the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, Syensqo supported NASA’s solid rocket motor nozzles with more than 14,500 kg of ablative materials per launch.
And as Bjorn explains: “Syensqo’s ablative materials must perform flawlessly every time to assure mission success.”
Within the nozzle, where high-temperature propellant gases generate thrust, allowing the rocket to move forward, Syensqo also supplies materials essential to structural integrity and control.
Cycom® 6001, a phenolic glass material, is wrapped over the nozzle exit cone to provide strength and thermal resistance in conditions reaching 2,000°C at hypersonic speeds. Cycom® 934 is used for flex seal components, allowing the nozzle to move while maintaining a seal against hot gases and enabling precise steering.
Lightweight composite solutions replacing metal in space structures
Beyond ablatives, Syensqo materials play a key role across the space industry, particularly through advanced composites that replace metal, significantly reducing weight. Lightweighting is a critical challenge in aerospace, and space exploration is another area where Syensqo composite technologies deliver meaningful performance benefits.
A clear example is the manufacture of payload fairings, the protective nose cones that shield satellites during launch. Weight is especially critical in this application.
“For space applications, weight is especially critical because every additional kilo costs about $10,000 to launch into Earth orbit,” explains Bjorn. “The composites used in space structural applications often exhibit special characteristics for space use, but they resemble materials employed in aircraft manufacturing.”
Swiss engineering company RUAG, the world’s leading manufacturer of payload fairings, uses Syensqo prepregs and resin systems, including the MTM®46 epoxy resin. Developed for extreme environments, such as space missions, this material delivers stiffness, impact resistance and thermal performance that surpasses metal alternatives. Payload fairings produced with MTM®46 can be around 30% lighter than metal equivalents, enabling lower fuel consumption, higher payload capacity and reduced manufacturing costs.
MTM®46 is an out-of-autoclave (OoA) thermoset that can be cured in large ovens rather than expensive autoclaves, which are often unsuitable for very large parts. This allows RUAG to manufacture fairings in just two halves instead of assembling 18 to 20 components, reducing production time, cost and the risk of defects. This high-performance out-of-autoclave composite system remains a distinctive Syensqo solution that is unique on the market.
Syensqo has been involved in the space market since the early days, offering the broadest portfolio of product options dedicated to space applications, coupled with the most comprehensive material performance database in the industry.
Advanced materials enabling next-generation launch vehicles and space systems
Syensqo materials have also been used in large-scale aerospace platforms such as the Stratolaunch space aircraft, which relied extensively on our now discontinued VTM® 264 prepreg technology for its primary structure, fuselage and wing skins. In smaller volumes, Syensqo materials are also used for satellite antennas, bus structures and selected components in space capsules. Future launch vehicles, including programs developed by United Launch Alliance, are expected to incorporate Syensqo’s out-of-autoclave composite solutions.
In addition to composites, lubricants play a critical role in space systems. Our Fomblin® PFPE lubricants have been widely used in space vehicles for more than 25 years, by both American and European space agencies. Applications include NASA’s 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission and the Sojourner® Rover, for which a grease formulated with Syensqo lubricant was specifically developed.
Growth in the space sector is expected to continue, driven by institutional programs, commercial launch providers and emerging applications, such as in-orbit services and commercial human spaceflight. These trends will continue to demand advanced materials capable of meeting extreme performance requirements, and Syensqo remains committed to supporting innovation across the space value chain.
Several factors explain why Syensqo has remained a leading provider of composite materials for space applications over decades.
“As a pioneer in composites, Syensqo has been involved in the space market since the early days, offering the broadest portfolio of product options dedicated to space applications, coupled with the most comprehensive material performance database in the industry,” says Bjorn. “We welcome working on the challenges involved with the next generation of space vehicles.”
In short, whatever the future of space exploration brings, Syensqo intends to be part of it.
