In a groundbreaking collaboration, the European Space Agency (ESA) has advanced the testing of novel thermal protection materials during a recent SpaceX Starship launch. These materials, developed to withstand the extreme conditions of atmospheric re-entry, were embedded in select areas of the Starship’s surface, where traditional heat shield tiles were intentionally removed.

This experiment aimed to validate how new coatings and structures behave under high thermal stress, mirroring the challenges faced in spacecraft design, high-performance transport systems, and advanced manufacturing—domains directly relevant to CoBRAIN’s vision. By leveraging SpaceX’s flight as an in-orbit laboratory, ESA gained critical data that will guide the next generation of reusable spacecraft and contribute to Europe’s space sustainability goals.

This milestone not only reflects Europe’s commitment to innovation in aerospace materials but also highlights the growing relevance of high-temperature surface engineering—a key area of focus for CoBRAIN and its partners working on sustainable and digitally enabled coating technologies.