Tag Archives: ALUULA Composites

Sci-Tech

Canadian Company To Help Astronauts Return To Moon In 2026

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Sage Berryman, CEO of ALUULA Composites, has just announced that her company’s super-strong, lightweight polyethylene material is now being used to develop expandable habitats for NASA’s astronauts to live on the moon in 2026. 

This small company on Canada’s west coast is playing a big role to help astronauts return to the moon in 2026.

Artemis II crew members (from left) CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman walk out of Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Artemis crew transportation vehicles prior to traveling to Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, to test the crew timeline for launch day. photo: NASA

ALUULA Composites recently signed an agreement with Max Space, an American company, to use its innovative composite material to build space habitats on the moon. The company’s ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) laminate will be used to create a large living and working area for NASA’s astronauts when they return to the moon in September 2026. 

The innovative material was selected because it has eight times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel and is extremely durable, which is ideal for space travel.

The Max Space team with their new expandable space habitat. photo: Max Space

The first Max Space inflatable space habitat is slated to launch with SpaceX in 2026. The Max Space inflatables can be delivered into space in very small packages and then unfolded and expanded to create a much larger work space. For the Silo, Paul Clarke.

Sci-Tech

Disruptive Composite Materials Developed Via Vancouver Company & University Of British Columbia

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Up coming next generation of polymer materials creates more durable and recycle-ready composites

ALUULA Composites is collaborating with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Composite Research Network to develop world-first recycling applications for high-performance, UHMWPE-based composite materials. The new material has been recently featured in Air&Cosmos, Composites World, Innovation in Textiles, and Plastics Today.

“When we first revealed our work with ALUULA to the kitesurfing world, there was reasonable and valid debate as to whether the hype would really match up to the material’s potential, and to the performance levels that we were promising. Happily, as has since been proven and documented, the hype has gone beyond everyone’s expectations.” Ocean Rodeo Kitesurfing

According to a report from the FMI, the global advanced polymer composites market is projected to register an average-paced CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period. The current valuation of the market is US$ 11.12 Billion in 2022.

The value of the advanced polymer composites market is anticipated to surpass a valuation of US$ 19.73 Billion by the year 2032. The experts of Future Market Insights have recorded a historical market valuation of US$ 10.5 Billion during the base year.

Composite materials have been using the same process of gluing together different core layers and outer films to create composites used in a wide range of product applications.

“Between the interest in our materials generated from the ISPO Awards and the transformational effect our composites have had in the wind sport sector (via Ocean Rodeo Kitesurfing products), Aluula is now in co-development conversations with industry leaders for a broad range of uses and applications. It is an extremely exciting time for our entire team” said Aluula COO John Zimmerman.

The new composites are up to 50% lighter than competitive materials while delivering equal or greater strength.

This process has produced many innovative composites, but their performance has plateaued. A new generation of composite materials, using novel chemistry and innovative manufacturing techniques develops new ways to assemble and fuse high-tech fibers, and advanced space-age films together. By bonding materials at the molecular level, the next-gen of polymers is not only creating extremely light, strong, and durable composites, but materials that are recycled readily.

  • High-performance polymer composites open up lucrative growth prospects for the manufacturers.
  • Are a new way to bond high-tech fibers and advanced space-age films creates the next-gen of polymers.
  • Are more durable and recycle readily next-gen materials create unlimited opportunities for the composites materials market.

Featured image via Aluula- Panels made with recycled polymer composites reportedly are 10 times stronger than panels molded from virgin resin.