Blueshift, a technology leader in thermal protection systems (TPS), will use this year’s Space Tech Expo to highlight the need for thermal protection systems for the next generation of satellites and emerging in-space data center demands.
During the second day of the event, will be the announcement of the winners of the inaugural Aviation Week Space Tech Challenge Awards where Blueshift has been named a finalist in the Commercialization category for its AeroZero Tapes product.
Also on the event’s second day, Tim Burbey, Co-Founder and President of Blueshift, will take to the Technology Conference Stage where he will speak as part of a panel discussion on: ‘Breaking Barriers: Bringing space-based data centers to life’.
Orbital data centers are attracting growing attention across the space, AI and technology sectors driven primarily by the potential advantages they offer, from abundant power generation to reduced pressure on terrestrial infrastructure. However, these concepts also introduce major technical hurdles, including thermal management in the vacuum of space, where conventional cooling approaches are not viable.
For Blueshift, these challenges reinforce the need for thermal protection systems that are lightweight, high-performing and engineered for the realities of spaceflight. As thermal material experts, Blueshift is focused on helping spacecraft manufacturers improve thermal stability and protect sensitive systems that can handle transient temperatures ranging from -100 °C to +120 °C.
“Cooling data centers in space is a hard engineering problem – but it’s a solvable one,” says Tim Burbey, Co-Founder and President of Blueshift.
“The physics are unforgiving. No convection, no atmosphere, and thermal swings that would destroy conventional materials. But we’ve been managing extreme thermal environments in space for decades. What’s needed now is applying those advances at data center scale with the cost and weight constraints that commercial space demands.”
Blueshift’s presence at the Space Tech Expo underpins its broader effort to support more reliable long-duration missions in increasingly demanding orbital environments. Showcasing its AeroZero® TPS product portfolio provides an opportunity to engage with spacecraft designers, engineers and industry decision makers on how material innovation can support the next phase of commercial space development.
Visitors can meet the Blueshift team at booth 328 throughout the exhibition. The Breaking Barriers panel session is on 3rd June at 1 pm.