Roadmap on materials development and utilization in space
Abstract
Materials science underpins national economies and infrastructures worldwide, contributing significantly to the delivery of key services, as well as supporting multiple industrial sectors, including space. The space sector, represents a cornerstone of technological progress, driving both direct and indirect innovation across many terrestrial fields. Taken together, materials science and the space sector represent a transformative frontier that remains only partially exploited, offering opportunities for scientific, economic, and societal advancement. In this context, this roadmap presents a special focus on where such interplay can yield fruitful outcomes over the next two decades, exploring specific intersections between these fields. The rationale behind this is routed in the current demand and forward view for specialized materials to address both terrestrial challenges and extraterrestrial ambitions, with the global space economy projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, requiring a coordinated interdisciplinary effort. Microgravity provides a unique platform to achieve this, enabling critical insights, more precise control over material formation and the creation of advanced materials with enhanced properties for diverse applications. These breakthroughs are already informing applications across a range of industries on Earth, from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals, while laying the groundwork for advanced manufacturing in space. Emerging sectors such as the ‘In-Orbit Economy’ and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) further underscore this critical opportunity, emphasizing the need for resilient materials that can withstand the harsh conditions of space and utilize extraterrestrial resources sustainably. This roadmap brings together a diverse array of contributions covering relevant subjects across these areas—from space exploration and ISRU to the production of new inorganic, organic, and even ‘living’ materials on microgravity platforms—while paying special attention to concrete examples, i.e. cases with a technological readiness level of 4 or higher, which warrant continued attention and effort.
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BibTeX
@article{lappa2026roadmap,
title = {{Roadmap on materials development and utilization in space}},
author = {Marcello Lappa and Philip Carvil and Valentina Shevtsova and Pablo Salgado Sánchez and Jose Miguel Ezquerro Navarro and Jeff Porter and Ana Laverón Simavilla and D. Langevin and David J Browne and T.P. Lyubimova and K.G. Kostarev and M.O. Denisova and Álvaro Romero-Calvo and Paolo Capobianchi and Peter Lewis and Andrew Tarrant and Andreas Frehn and Stefan Surrey and Martyn Acreman and Fritz Grensing and Berin Šeta and Tusher Mollah and Navid Ranjbar and Jon Spangenberg and Ian Hamerton and Priyadarshini Patel and Komal Parmar and Aakash Bansal and William Whittow and Marco Domingos and Lorenzo Moroni and Carlo Saverio Iorio and Yarjan Abdul Samad and Mahdi Bodaghi and Juanma García-Ruiz and Fermín Otálora and José A Gavira and Luis Fernando Gonzáles-Torres and Marcus Krüger and Daniela Grimm and Içvara Aor and Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro and Sebastien Vincent-Bonnieu and Aidan Cowley and Advenit Makaya and Lukas Schlueter and Altan Alpay Altun and Martin Schwentenwein and Miranda Fateri and Jens Günster and Matthias Sperl and Josh Western and Katie King},
journal = {Journal of Physics: Materials},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1088/2515-7639/ae7b88},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05853643v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Roadmap on materials development and utilization in space
AU - Marcello Lappa
AU - Philip Carvil
AU - Valentina Shevtsova
AU - Pablo Salgado Sánchez
AU - Jose Miguel Ezquerro Navarro
AU - Jeff Porter
AU - Ana Laverón Simavilla
AU - D. Langevin
AU - David J Browne
AU - T.P. Lyubimova
AU - K.G. Kostarev
AU - M.O. Denisova
AU - Álvaro Romero-Calvo
AU - Paolo Capobianchi
AU - Peter Lewis
AU - Andrew Tarrant
AU - Andreas Frehn
AU - Stefan Surrey
AU - Martyn Acreman
AU - Fritz Grensing
AU - Berin Šeta
AU - Tusher Mollah
AU - Navid Ranjbar
AU - Jon Spangenberg
AU - Ian Hamerton
AU - Priyadarshini Patel
AU - Komal Parmar
AU - Aakash Bansal
AU - William Whittow
AU - Marco Domingos
AU - Lorenzo Moroni
AU - Carlo Saverio Iorio
AU - Yarjan Abdul Samad
AU - Mahdi Bodaghi
AU - Juanma García-Ruiz
AU - Fermín Otálora
AU - José A Gavira
AU - Luis Fernando Gonzáles-Torres
AU - Marcus Krüger
AU - Daniela Grimm
AU - Içvara Aor
AU - Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
AU - Sebastien Vincent-Bonnieu
AU - Aidan Cowley
AU - Advenit Makaya
AU - Lukas Schlueter
AU - Altan Alpay Altun
AU - Martin Schwentenwein
AU - Miranda Fateri
AU - Jens Günster
AU - Matthias Sperl
AU - Josh Western
AU - Katie King
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Journal of Physics: Materials
DO - 10.1088/2515-7639/ae7b88
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05853643v1
AB - Materials science underpins national economies and infrastructures worldwide, contributing significantly to the delivery of key services, as well as supporting multiple industrial sectors, including space. The space sector, represents a cornerstone of technological progress, driving both direct and indirect innovation across many terrestrial fields. Taken together, materials science and the space sector represent a transformative frontier that remains only partially exploited, offering opportunities for scientific, economic, and societal advancement. In this context, this roadmap presents a special focus on where such interplay can yield fruitful outcomes over the next two decades, exploring specific intersections between these fields. The rationale behind this is routed in the current demand and forward view for specialized materials to address both terrestrial challenges and extraterrestrial ambitions, with the global space economy projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, requiring a coordinated interdisciplinary effort. Microgravity provides a unique platform to achieve this, enabling critical insights, more precise control over material formation and the creation of advanced materials with enhanced properties for diverse applications. These breakthroughs are already informing applications across a range of industries on Earth, from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals, while laying the groundwork for advanced manufacturing in space. Emerging sectors such as the ‘In-Orbit Economy’ and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) further underscore this critical opportunity, emphasizing the need for resilient materials that can withstand the harsh conditions of space and utilize extraterrestrial resources sustainably. This roadmap brings together a diverse array of contributions covering relevant subjects across these areas—from space exploration and ISRU to the production of new inorganic, organic, and even ‘living’ materials on microgravity platforms—while paying special attention to concrete examples, i.e. cases with a technological readiness level of 4 or higher, which warrant continued attention and effort.
SN - 2515-7639
ER -