A Spanish research team says it has developed a new coating that could help prevent a damaging satellite failure known as the multipactor effect, a long-standing problem in high-frequency space hardware. The development is relevant to Europe news because it combines public research, industrial spin-out work and European Space Agency backing in an area linked to Europe’s wider push for strategic space capability.
The work comes from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), through the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid, in partnership with spin-off Nanostine. According to the researchers, the coating uses gold and silver nanoparticles to reduce the secondary electron emission that can trigger multipactor events inside satellite components operating in vacuum.
Why this satellite research matters in Europe news
The multipactor effect has concerned the European Space Agency for decades because it can disrupt or permanently damage communications systems in satellites. It happens when electrons multiply rapidly inside components such as antennas or waveguides, creating an avalanche that interferes with normal operation.
For years, the aerospace sector has relied on chromium-based surface treatments such as Alodine to limit the problem. But chromium-based compounds have faced growing scrutiny because of their health and environmental risks. That makes the search for a high-performance alternative significant not only for the space sector, but also for broader European news around cleaner industrial technologies.
How the new coating works
Instead of changing surfaces at the micrometre scale, the Spanish team moved to the nanometre level. Using an ultra-high-vacuum process called gas aggregation, the researchers created gold and silver nanoparticles roughly four to eight nanometres in size and deposited them into porous metallic films without solvents or chemical residue.
That structure appears to matter. Tests carried out in European Space Agency-accredited laboratories found the coating reduced secondary electron emission by about 30% compared with Alodine, according to the project team. Researchers also said the cut-off energy threshold improved sharply in some setups, meaning the material could better resist the point where electron multiplication begins.
Key reported results
- Lower secondary electron emission than conventional Alodine coatings
- Strong improvement in cut-off energy thresholds in some configurations
- Resistance to ageing and heat treatment designed to simulate space conditions
- Cleaner production process with no solvent residue in deposition
Ageing tests over six months and thermal treatment at 150C reportedly caused some performance decline, but the coating still performed better than newly applied Alodine.
What happens next
The technology is not yet ready for routine use in orbit. A joint European patent application from CSIC and Nanostine was filed with the European Patent Office in July 2025 and remains under examination. Nanostine is expected to lead commercialisation, mainly for aerospace applications.
This is an important distinction in Europe news today: the development is a research and engineering advance, not a deployed satellite standard. Space hardware usually goes through years of validation before approval for flight. One of the researchers involved said a path to real use in space can take around a decade.
The project also reflects how national research, regional support and ESA-linked innovation funding can feed into wider European industrial goals. For policymakers following European affairs, that matters because Europe has been trying to strengthen its own space technology base, reduce strategic dependencies and back cleaner advanced manufacturing.
What this could mean for Europe’s space sector
If the coating continues to perform well in future testing, it could offer a safer alternative for satellite manufacturers seeking to manage a known technical risk without relying on chromium-based treatments. That would make it relevant to both industrial competitiveness and sustainability debates appearing across latest Europe news and European Union updates.
The main takeaway is clear: this is a promising Spanish-led innovation with European significance, but it remains at the validation stage. For readers tracking Europe news, the next milestone will be whether long-term testing and certification can turn a successful lab result into a material that actually flies on future satellites.
