Progress and strategies in advanced aerospace materials for extreme environments: A review

With the increasing number of deep space exploration missions, the harsh space environment imposes stringent demands on equipment reliability — a property that fundamentally depends on the long-term performance of structural materials. This review summarizes recent advances in thermal protection materials, ionizing radiation shielding materials, and atomic oxygen-resistant materials, while critically analyzing limitations of current technologies. To address these challenges, multilayer structural designs and hybrid smart materials, such as shape-memory polymers with self-healing capabilities, are proposed to mitigate combined space environmental threats. Specifically, the integration of artificial intelligence for predictive material optimization and additive manufacturing for the development of customized functional architectures is highlighted. Next-generation aerospace materials will evolve into lightweight, adaptive systems with embedded intelligence that enables real-time performance monitoring and autonomous repair. Consequently, the development of advanced aerospace composites is pivotal in driving the technological progress in deep space exploration and extending human capabilities in space.