The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

This study evaluates the potential application of oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composites for stealth satellites operating in the Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) environment below 450 km above the Earth's surface. VLEO offers advantages such as reduced communication latency and high-resolution, real-time data transmission due to its proximity to Earth. However, the harsh conditions in VLEO, including high atmospheric drag, extreme thermal cycles (-150 to 150 °C), intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation (100 ~ 400 nm), and material degradation from atomic oxygen (AO flux: 10¹⁴~10¹⁶ atoms/cm²·s, kinetic energy 5.3 eV) pose significant challenges for satellite materials. A simulated VLEO environment test was conducted using a facility capable of generating ultra-high vacuum (~10⁻⁶ Torr), AO flux (1.35 × 10¹⁷ atoms/cm²·s), thermal cycling (-80 to 150 °C), UV radiation (280~420 nm), thermal cycling (-80 to 150 °C).