Novel Radiation Shielding Material for Dramatically Extending the Orbit Life of Cubesats

A high density metal, such as tantalum or tungsten is coated onto thin aluminum sheet in precise ratios and thicknesses. The combined sheet is then easily formed into standardized enclosures compatible with CubeSat design and performance specifications. The NASA Langley Research Center has developed an innovative radiation shield made by layering metal materials in the Z-shielding method. It is a new, low cost and easy to implement method to protect CubeSat electronic circuits from ionizing radiation found in Low Earth Orbits. It is estimated that this approach can extend the life of CubeSat electronics by an order of magnitude.