Reactive Surfaces, Austin, Texas, has been selected from over 70 aerospace companies as one of ten finalists for the 2102 New Space business plan competition by the Space Frontier Foundation, for its submission of a project concept company called ExoCoat, which is devoted to marketing the parent company’s bio-based functional additives and coatings to the aerospace and space communities.

Founded in 1988, the Space Frontier Foundation is an advocacy organization committed to an expanded permanent human presence in space. Through a series of prizes awarded to entrepreneurial organizations, such as its $100,000 first-place prize for the best business plan for a space-industry enterprise, the Space Frontier Foundation is helping to transform the notion of space being the exclusive domain of governments to that of a widely accessible market ripe with opportunity for entrepreneurial companies. 

“We have long had an interest in expanding our technology into materials used in construction and maintenance of aerospace surfaces,” said Reactive Surfaces’ CIO Steve McDaniel. “We are honored that ExoCoat has been selected as a finalist in the NewSpace2012 business plan competition.”

Functional coatings add significant dynamic capability to aerospace surfaces, and they do so without any weight penalty or changes to the specifications of existing coatings into which they are placed. In many cases, such as bio-based biocides that help to keep aerospace cabin surfaces free of microbes, functional coatings reduce the amount and weight of equipment and other materials designed to keep such closed loop systems microbe-free. 

Other functional coatings that will be of particular relevance in the space environment that are commercially ready or that are on the Reactive Surfaces‘ drawing board include self-cleaning surfaces, self-degreasing surfaces, anti-allergenic surfaces, anti-viral surfaces, de-odorizing surfaces, air freshening/quality surfaces, toxin-removing surfaces, environmental safety monitoring surfaces and radiation damage-repairing materials.

For more information watch, “Smart Coatings on Spacecraft Surfaces” SETI Talks online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkSS07hsMAk.