CubeSat propellant tanks manufactured by cold spray deposition

TWI explores the use of cold spray deposition to produce lightweight, conformal propellant tanks and internal liners suited to CubeSats and small satellites. Cold spray is a solid-state process that deposits particles at high velocity and relatively low temperature, avoiding melting the feedstock and minimising thermal distortion or metallurgical degradation of the substrate. These characteristics make it attractive for smallsat tanks where tight dimensional control, material integrity and minimal heat input are essential.

Key benefits and features

• Low thermal input: preserves substrate properties and allows deposition onto pre-assembled structures or sensitive components.

• Conformal geometries: enables near-net-shape internal liners, baffles and add-on reinforcement without conventional welding or machining.

• Material flexibility: capability to deposit aluminium, copper, stainless steels and metal blends that can be tailored for corrosion resistance, structural strength or compatibility with specific propellants.

• Reduced joining risk: eliminates many welding seams and associated leak paths, simplifying hermeticity challenges when combined with appropriate sealing and post-processing.

• Rapid prototyping and repair: suited to quick iteration of tank designs and in-field refurbishment concepts.

Development and qualification activities we can support

• Material selection and compatibility testing with modern propellants and pressurants (including cryogenic and non-cryogenic regimes).

• Substrate preparation, deposition parameter optimisation and densification strategies (including post-deposition sealing or HIP if required).

• Mechanical and pressure testing to relevant flight requirements, including burst, fatigue and leak-rate characterisation.

• Thermal cycling and cryogenic performance assessment for low-temperature propellants.

• Non-destructive testing, dimensional metrology and integrated inspection workflows for production and qualification.

• Design-for-manufacture advice to integrate cold-sprayed tanks into CubeSat structures and propulsion subsystems.

Why this matters for CubeSats

Cold spray offers a route to lighter, more integrated propellant containment that can reduce part count and assembly risk. By enabling conformal liners and local reinforcement, the technology can improve usable volume, tailor mass distribution and support novel propulsion layouts while keeping heat-sensitive components unharmed.

Collaboration invitation

TWI has cold spray capability, materials science expertise and test facilities to take concepts from feasibility to qualified prototypes. We are seeking partners for collaborative development and flight qualification of cold-sprayed CubeSat tanks and liners — from demonstrator builds to system-level testing.