Australian advanced materials company Ablano has successfully completed the first global flight test of its proprietary boron nitride nanomaterial, demonstrating its potential to withstand the extreme conditions of launch and atmospheric descent.
This milestone could ultimately support the development of more durable rocket and spacecraft components, helping reduce maintenance and replacement costs as the global space industry moves increasingly towards reusable launch systems.
As part of the mission, four panels mounted to the exterior fuselage of a rocket were coated with different concentrations of Ablano’s boron nitride nanomaterial.
The rocket launched from northern Sweden and reached an altitude of 270 kilometres, spending approximately six and a half minutes above the Kármán line before the vehicle and experimental panels were recovered near Kiruna.
The recovered panels have been returned to Australia for analysis at the University of Western Australia. The results will provide Ablano with real-world performance data to complement extensive laboratory testing of the material.
Michael Rimbas, executive director of Ablano, said the demonstration represented an important step towards commercialising the technology.
“The entire global space sector is focused on reusability. The longer a component lasts, the cheaper every launch becomes, and this is the economic opportunity that our nanotechnology feeds into. While we’ve already conducted extensive lab testing, there is no substitute for real-world launch research, so this is an important step towards commercialising the technology.”
Boron nitride nanomaterials are attracting interest because of their combination of low weight, corrosion resistance and friction-reduction properties.
Ablano said its material can be up to 70 per cent lighter than the material it replaces while potentially extending component service life by reducing corrosion and wear.
That combination could have particular value for reusable launch vehicles, where components must repeatedly withstand extreme thermal, mechanical and environmental stresses.
The commercial opportunity is significant as launch providers pursue dramatically lower costs per kilogram to orbit.
Companies including SpaceX and Australian launch provider Gilmour Space are pursuing increasingly capable and reusable launch architectures, increasing demand for materials and technologies capable of extending vehicle operating lives.
Ablano’s technology could potentially contribute to that effort through protective coatings and lubricants that reduce degradation and allow components to remain in service for longer.
The potential applications extend beyond launch vehicles.
Boron nitride nanomaterials can also absorb neutrons, creating potential longer-term applications in radiation shielding as spacecraft venture further beyond Earth’s protective environment.
For Australia, the technology represents an opportunity to develop sovereign space capability beyond launch services and launch infrastructure.
Rimbas said Australia could use its scientific and manufacturing expertise to capture a greater share of the emerging space supply chain.
“Australia already offers favourable orbital access but we have the scientific and manufacturing capabilities to be more than a launch pad for other countries – we can lead a part of the supply chain that is critical to the future low-cost space economy. By proving that this material can survive the real conditions of launch and descent, we’re building an exciting sovereign capability for Australia.”
The demonstration was conducted in partnership with South Australian payload and flight-hardware developer Research Sat, which co-developed the experiment, and Queensland-based Implement Space, which facilitated mission access.
The collaboration was originally established in 2023 with support from the South Australian government.
For Australia’s space sector, the project highlights the potential to build sovereign capability across the wider industrial ecosystem – from advanced materials and manufacturing to payload development and launch services – rather than competing solely in the increasingly crowded global launch market.
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