How ACI’s Conductive Ink is Helping NASA Rethink Spacecraft Design
NASA Goddard is evaluating ACI’s FS0142 conductive ink as part of a lightweight printed grounding strap initiative. The work reflects NASA’s broader interest in additive electronics for spacecraft and high-reliability systems.
In spaceflight, every gram matters.
Engineers work within strict mass limits when designing scientific instruments, satellites, planetary rovers, and future exploration systems. Reducing weight can lower launch costs. It can also increase payload capacity and create room for more advanced mission designs.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is exploring advanced additive manufacturing technologies to help address these challenges. One area of focus is 3D-printed electronics.
As part of this work, NASA’s 3D Printed Electronics Team used ACI Materials’ FS0142 silver conductive ink in a project evaluating printed battery grounding straps. The goal was to assess whether printed conductors could offer a lightweight alternative to conventional grounding hardware.
This work reflects a broader shift across aerospace and defense. Engineers are looking for additive electronics technologies that can reduce weight, improve customization, simplify manufacturing, and meet the reliability needs of demanding systems.
NASA Goddard’s Additive Electronics Objective
NASA Goddard’s objective is practical and ambitious.
The goal is to demonstrate how 3D-printed electronics can support unique spaceflight mission requirements while reducing cost and schedule impact.
Traditional spacecraft electrical systems often rely on wire harnesses, metal grounding straps, connectors, and mechanical assemblies. These components are proven, but they also add weight, complexity, and design constraints.
Additive electronics offers a different approach. Conductive features can be printed directly onto structural components or conformal surfaces. Instead of adding separate cables, connectors, and grounding hardware, engineers can place conductive pathways exactly where they are needed.
This approach will reduce system weight, lower part count, improve design flexibility, and support faster prototyping. It will also allow engineers to customize electrical functionality for specific mission requirements while reducing development and production complexity.
NASA Goddard’s work with ACI FS0142 shows how these benefits will translate into practical aerospace applications.
The Grounding Strap Challenge
Grounding systems are critical in spacecraft.
They provide controlled electrical pathways that help dissipate static charge, protect sensitive electronics, and maintain proper electrical bonding throughout the spacecraft.
Conventional grounding straps are often made from braided copper or other metallic materials. These solutions are effective, but they add weight to systems where mass is tightly constrained.
NASA engineers identified an opportunity to rethink this approach.
For certain instruments, the mass budget is severely limited. Traditional grounding straps are not the best fit. NASA’s proposed approach was to print conductive grounding straps directly along instrument sidewalls using conductive ink.
If successful, this approach will reduce bulky hardware while preserving the electrical performance required for demanding aerospace environments.
The concept is important because it changes the role of the spacecraft structure. Instead of adding grounding hardware onto the structure, the structure can become part of the electrical system.
Why NASA Selected ACI FS0142
NASA Goddard purchased ACI FS0142 silver conductive ink as part of its development work.
The material is being used across multiple development efforts involving interns and researchers working on additive electronics applications.
FS0142 aligns with several performance needs for aerospace applications. It offers high electrical conductivity, adhesion to engineering plastics, flexibility under mechanical stress, compatibility with additive manufacturing processes, and durability under environmental testing conditions. All have met the NASA specifications.
The most notable result was electrical performance.
Strong Conductivity Results
Electrical conductivity is one of the most important performance metrics for a conductive ink.
In the reported evaluation, printed samples were measured using profilometry and microscopy to determine printed dimensions. Resistance was then measured using a four-wire Kelvin connection method.
The measured resistivity results showed strong performance for ACI FS0142. The comparison silver ink measured 8.15 × 10⁻⁷ Ω·m, while ACI FS0142 silver ink measured 2.78 × 10⁻⁸ Ω·m.
Lower resistivity indicates higher conductivity. Under the reported test conditions, ACI FS0142 showed about 29 times lower resistivity than the competitor’s silver ink.
For grounding applications, that matters. A more conductive pathway can improve electrical efficiency and reliability in spacecraft bonding and grounding systems.
NASA also evaluated the current-carrying capability of the printed conductor. The ACI printed conductor carried 1.5 amps. This is a significant result for printed electronics.
For grounding applications, current capacity is a critical requirement. This result supports the potential use of FS0142 in higher-current printed conductor applications.
Meeting Aerospace Qualification Requirements
Electrical performance alone is not enough for aerospace adoption.
Materials used in spacecraft must withstand environmental and operational stress before they can be considered for flight hardware. NASA’s evaluation plan includes adhesion testing, thermal management testing, outgassing analysis, and thermal cycling.
Printed conductive traces must remain attached to structural substrates throughout the life of the mission. NASA plans to evaluate adhesion performance on Ultem plastic using ASTM-standard test methods.
Grounding straps must also carry electrical fault currents without overheating. Thermal management testing includes heat dissipation under maximum fault-current conditions.
Outgassing is another critical requirement. In vacuum environments, volatile materials can contaminate optical instruments, sensors, and other mission-critical systems. NASA’s testing program includes outgassing evaluation to assess material suitability for space environments.
NASA completed outgassing testing on FS0142 according to ASTM E-595. The results showed an average total mass loss of 0.30% and an average collected volatile condensable material value of 9.00%. ACI was informed that FS0142 meets NASA’s applicable outgassing requirements and is expected to be added to NASA Goddard’s outgassing database, supporting future materials review for space-relevant applications.
Spacecraft can also experience large temperature swings during operation. Printed grounding structures must tolerate repeated thermal cycling between minimum and maximum application temperatures.
Together, these evaluations will help determine where printed conductive materials can be used in future aerospace systems.
Beyond Grounding Straps
Grounding straps are the near-term application. They are also part of a larger additive electronics roadmap.
NASA Goddard has identified several areas where printed electronics and advanced conductive materials could support future missions. Potential application areas discussed with ACI include:
- Curved surface antennas
- RF selective surfaces
- Localized electromagnetic interference shielding
- Fine-structured ceramics for high-voltage applications
- Magnetometers
- Miniaturized electronics for CubeSats
- Localized heating systems
These applications share a common theme. They integrate function directly into structures.
As additive manufacturing technologies mature, the line between structure and electronics may become less distinct. Future spacecraft could include antennas printed onto exterior surfaces, shielding integrated into structural panels, and sensors manufactured directly into the vehicle.
Advancing Additive Electronics for Aerospace and Defense
NASA’s current use of ACI FS0142 is more than a single development project.
It reflects growing interest in conductive materials that can support advanced aerospace systems. The ongoing work at Goddard may contribute to NASA-generated validation data, future suborbital testing opportunities, and longer-term mission-related applications.
This type of NASA evaluation will support broader confidence in ACI materials for aerospace, defense, high-reliability electronics, and additive electronics markets.
As organizations seek lighter and more adaptable electronic systems, conductive inks must do more than print. They must deliver performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
ACI FS0142 was developed for demanding printed electronics applications where conductivity, durability, and process compatibility matter. NASA Goddard’s evaluation highlights the type of challenge where advanced conductive materials can create new design options.
Enabling the Next Generation of Spaceflight
The future of spacecraft design will depend on technologies that help engineers do more with less.
Less weight. Less complexity. Less manufacturing overhead.
NASA’s exploration of printed grounding straps shows how additive electronics can contribute to that future.
ACI FS0142 combines high conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and compatibility with additive manufacturing methods. These properties are helping NASA researchers evaluate new approaches to spacecraft electrical systems.
The current effort remains a development project. Still, the direction is clear. Additive electronics are moving from research concepts toward practical aerospace applications.
As testing continues, printed electronics may play a larger role in enabling lighter, more efficient, and more capable spacecraft.
