In orbital space and at hypersonic flight speeds, convection is impossible and conduction is severely constrained when it comes to thermal management. Thermal radiation is the only viable mechanism for shedding waste heat. As next-gen spacecraft and hypersonic vehicles become faster, more powerful and more compact, heat and power issues with key thermal components and materials for satellites, landers, rovers, hypersonic rockets and aircraft are becoming glaring issues in thermal control in extreme environments.

Higher power means higher operating temperatures, which causes performance issues, operation failures, shortened lifecycles and even direct dangers, such as degradation and thermal breakdown, costing millions of dollars in losses in failed missions and projects.

Without real innovation in manufacturing and application, components such as thermal radiators, leading edges, cold plates, nose cones and enclosures will not be able to sustainably handle more heat to meet demand.