Atomic-6's New Space Armor Protects Satellites from Hypersonic Debris While Allowing Radio Signals
- MM24 News Desk
- Oct 30
- 4 min read
Atomic-6 has developed Space Armor tiles that protect satellites from hypersonic space debris traveling at over 4.35 miles per second, while being radio transparent unlike traditional aluminum shields. The one-foot-by-one-foot polymer tiles can handle 90 percent of probable space debris up to 3mm in diameter and produce far less secondary debris than conventional Whipple Shields.
With satellites orbiting the Earth exploding into tens of thousands of pieces, the danger of collisions with space debris is a major problem. Now Atomic-6 has developed new Space Armor tiles that are lighter and more effective than current protection systems.
Currently, there are over 130 million bits of debris orbiting Earth, depending on how small an object is counted as debris. Most of these are smaller than a paint chip, so they might not seem too dangerous. But when that paint chip is flying at hypersonic speed and encounters a satellite flying at hypersonic speed in the opposite direction, the results can be catastrophic.
In recent years, there's been a big push to reduce space debris by setting up tracking systems, improving spacecraft and launcher designs, and setting up protocols so that defunct satellites are properly decommissioned before being orbited or sent into a graveyard orbit.
Another way to handle the problem is installing protective armor on spacecraft. Originally designed to ward off micrometeorites, they're also used to minimize the effects of debris encounters.
The most common armor is the Whipple Shield, which was developed by astronomer Fred Whipple in the 1940s. Used on the Apollo Command Module and Lunar Module, the Whipple Shield consists of layers of aircraft-grade aluminum sheeting separated from one another by a gap or a filling of foam polymer. The idea is that if a micrometeorite hits the shield, it will dissipate energy as it passes through each layer until it's spent by the time it reaches the craft's hull.
The Whipple Shield works, but it's far from ideal. It's complex to make, heavy, and expensive. Worse, the aluminum has a tendency to throw off fragments when struck, producing more debris – rather counterproductive when the goal is reducing space junk.
Atomic-6 claims to have created an improvement on the Whipple Shield with its Space Armor product. Developed over an 18-month period, Space Armor consists of tiles made of a proprietary polymer containing an undisclosed ratio of fibers to resins formed under an equally secretive process.
These tiles are self-adhesive, measuring one foot by one foot (30 cm by 30 cm) and one inch (2.5 cm) thick, or can be made to order in sizes up to 3.3 feet by 3.3 feet (1 meter by 1 meter).
According to the company, Space Armor can handle impacts of over 4.35 miles per second (7 km/s) with far less debris being produced. Variants include a lighter, thinner armor that can handle 90 percent of probable space debris up to 3mm in diameter or a heavy version for debris up to 12.5mm wide.
Space Armor has one critical advantage over the Whipple Shield: it's radio transparent, while the Whipple Shield acts like a Faraday cage that blocks radio signals. This means the new polymer armor can be made into radomes and other structures to protect radar and communication antennae without interfering with their function.
This represents a significant breakthrough for satellite design. Previously, spacecraft designers faced a difficult tradeoff: protect communication systems with armor and lose signal quality, or leave antennae exposed and risk catastrophic damage from debris strikes. Atomic-6 also makes a radio-opaque version of the armor for applications where blocking signals is desired.
"This is a big deal. We made the first radomes that can stop orbital debris," said Trevor Smith, CEO of Atomic-6. "You don't have to sacrifice communications to protect your spacecraft anymore. This little composite tile preserves mission-critical functions, thereby protecting spacecraft, space stations, and people in orbit from increasingly prevalent, yet invisible threats."
"With rising geopolitical tensions and growing concerns over space-based attacks, protecting satellites and astronauts from both deliberate strikes and accidental debris collisions is no longer optional – it's essential," Smith added.
The modular tile design offers practical advantages beyond performance specifications. Unlike traditional armor that must be integrated during spacecraft construction, these self-adhesive tiles could potentially be retrofitted onto existing satellites. The standardized one-foot-by-one-foot format simplifies installation and replacement procedures.
The growing space debris problem threatens the viability of orbital operations. Each collision creates thousands of additional fragments, establishing a cascading effect known as Kessler Syndrome, where debris collisions create more debris in an exponential chain reaction. Protecting satellites from impacts doesn't just save individual spacecraft – it helps prevent the creation of additional orbital hazards.
Whether Space Armor can successfully transition from development to widespread deployment depends on proving long-term durability, establishing competitive pricing, and meeting certification requirements from space agencies and commercial operators. But if the technology delivers on its promises, those radio-transparent polymer tiles might become standard equipment on the next generation of satellites orbiting Earth.
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