Phase-change materials for spaceborne photonics: From MISSE to mission implementation

Title : Phase-change materials for spaceborne photonics: From MISSE to mission implementation

Abstract:

Space missions are pushing more capability into smaller spacecraft, creating an urgent need for photonic systems that are lightweight, reconfigurable, and robust in extreme environments. Chalcogenide phase-change materials (PCMs) uniquely meet this demand: they switch rapidly, retain nonvolatile states, and exhibit exceptional radiation and thermal tolerance. These attributes position PCMs as a next-generation materials platform for adaptive spaceborne optics.

This talk highlights key findings from the MISSE-14 mission and the upcoming MISSE-21 flight, where PCMs and PCM-based optical filters were exposed directly to the true space environment. Combined with ground-based testing that replicates LEO thermal, UV, vacuum, atomic oxygen, radiation, and electrostatic conditions, we show that space degradation is governed not by individual stressors, but by their synergistic interaction—a crucial insight for designing reliable in-orbit photonic systems.

We conclude with emerging NASA-driven applications—from reconfigurable multispectral imagers to compact LIDAR gas sensors—demonstrating how PCMs can enable on-orbit tunability, reduced power budgets, and new scientific capabilities for future missions.

Keywords: Phase-Change material, MISSE (Materials International Space Station Experiment), Spaceborne photonics

Biography:

Hyun Jung Kim is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST, where she leads the Space Testing And payload sensoR (STAR) Lab, focusing on advanced spaceborne sensors and extreme-environment materials testing from VLEO to lunar conditions. Before joining KAIST in 2024, she spent 16 years as a Research Physicist at NASA Langley Research Center, working on photonics, phase-change materials (PCM), deployable optics, on-chip spectroscopy, and mission-critical sensor systems. She served as PI for multiple NASA instruments, including reconfigurable optical sensors and deployable telescopes, and was the lead scientist for MISSE-9/14/21 space-exposure missions. She also led development of SAMI, a scientific payload flown on Artemis-I, OSIRIS-REx, and the 2024 Solar Eclipse mission. At KAIST, her group develops PCM-based reconfigurable photonics and high-fidelity space-environment simulation for materials qualification. Her recent work has been featured in invited talks and papers including the MRS Meetings, Nature Photonics, and Nature Review Bioengineering.