Origami inspires shape-shifting spacecraft radiator

Though it is still at an early stage of development, the group claims that the device could provide a compact, light-weight alternative to existing satellite radiators, and would be ideal for Cubesats, the tiny low-cost satellites that are becoming increasingly popular.

The collaborative team behind the technology – which includes researchers from Utah’s Brigham Young University – claim that the device could be actuated by shape memory materials that change shape when exposed to different temperatures.

These shape changes would be used to alter the depth of the radiator’s folds, thereby regulating the rate of heat loss. “Origami allows you to change the depth of these cavities in real time, thereby changing the heat loss from a surface in real time,” explained Brigham Young doctoral student Rydge Mulford

To improve the technology further, NASA technologist Vivek Dwivedi, is now working on the development of a highly emissive coating for the radiator made of vanadium oxide.