Nanocomposite layers for spacecraft protection: from multiscale numerical model to experimental data

In space environment, the surfaces of a spacecraft interact with the surrounding charged particles. Depending on the orbit, this interaction can induce a significant absolute charge on the structures and/or a differential charge collected among components. These phenomena generate electrostatic discharges with catastrophic consequences for the satellites. In this work, we investigate the volumetric electrical properties of nanocomposites made of aerospace-grade epoxy resin (RTM6) with single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) as fillers to mitigate the electrostatic discharge phenomenon. In particular, we developed a highly conductive nanocomposite layer satisfying the NASA requirements for geostationary orbit. The study is divided into two parts, an experimental and a numerical one. In the first part, we fabricated nanocomposite samples and characterized their electrical properties at various frequencies. The electrical experimental results were compared with the numerical ones, which were calculated using a multiscale approach.