From the first moon landing to today’s rockets and satellites, Oerlikon technologies perform critical tasks in space. Our coatings and 3D printed components protect parts against extreme heat, vacuum and friction and help make missions safer, lighter and more efficient.
Oerlikon has been part of space exploration since the first moon landing in 1969, when its coatings protected parts of the lunar lander. Today, almost every rocket carries Oerlikon technology. Components in space face extreme heat, vacuum, radiation and strong friction during launch and landing. These conditions demand materials to perform flawlessly. As a partner to leading space companies, Oerlikon provides coatings and 3D printed solutions wherever metals face exceptional loads.
In rocket engines, temperatures can well exceed 2 000 °C. Higher temperatures mean higher thrust and therefore more performance. Oerlikon’s high‑temperature protection coatings – so-called thermal barrier coatings - combine metallic and ceramic advantages to keep parts functioning under such extreme conditions, even with the newer fuel oxidizer mixtures adopting Methane. Thermal barrier solutions are also used in aircraft engines and gas turbines in the energy sector.
Alongside coatings, additive manufacturing (AM) plays a key role in the space industry. Oerlikon develops and produces 3D printed parts such as satellite communication antennas, RF (radio frequency) antenna components and structures for launch and propulsion systems. AM enables lightweight components with integrated channels and complex geometries that would be impossible to realize conventionally. Oerlikon has industrialized satellite components and antenna clusters for Airbus, 3D printed from aluminum to deliver precise communication functions in orbit.
A major benefit of 3D printed parts is weight reduction: Hollow designs and integration of multiple engineering functions in one single piece can cut more than 100 kilograms per system while maintaining or improving performance. Lower mass makes launches more efficient, reduces fuel demand and cuts costs, all with shorter development times.
Together with its customers, Oerlikon continuously advances high‑temperature, erosion and wear‑protection coatings as well as tailor‑made AM solutions. With design, printing, heat treatment, machining and surface treatment all under one roof, Oerlikon helps make space missions safer and more economical.
