Advanced Materials Testing for Space

Element Defense (formerly Element Materials Technology, the aerospace and defense division) provides materials testing, non-destructive testing (NDT), and structural qualification services for aerospace and space hardware. Materials testing is a fundamental requirement of space program quality assurance — every material and structural component that flies in space must be characterized for its mechanical properties, fatigue life, and environmental resistance.

Element provides tensile testing, fatigue testing, fracture mechanics testing, and environmental exposure testing (radiation exposure testing, cryogenic testing, thermal cycling) for satellite structural components, composite panels, weld specimens, and fasteners. Non-destructive testing using ultrasonic, X-ray, and computed tomography (CT) scanning reveals internal defects in castings, composite layups, and weld joints without destroying the sample.

For launch vehicles, Element performs structural test programs including pressure vessel burst testing, combustion chamber cyclic fatigue testing, and propellant tank qualification. These test campaigns follow rigorous test plans developed to standards including NASA-STD-5001 (metallic structural qualification) and MIL-HDBK-17 (composite material properties). Element has laboratories across the US, UK, and Europe serving prime space contractors.