Cryogenic & Space Systems Insulation: Die-Cut Aerogel Blankets, MLI Support Layers & Low-Outgassing Components
Space systems insulation is a boil-off and outgassing problem before it is a materials problem: every layer near a cryogenic line or an optical payload must insulate without shedding mass or gas. The die-cut layers below — aerogel blankets, polyimide foam, films, and MLI details — are organized by that job.
H-O Products die-cuts and converts ArmaGel® XGC and Cryogel® Z aerogel blankets, SOLIMIDE® polyimide foam, Kapton® and Apical® polyimide films, AeroZero® thin polymer film, NeoGraf® graphite, ePTFE membrane, and BISCO® silicone foams into feedline insulation, MLI blanket support layers, interface spacers, vent paths, and low-outgassing components for launch vehicles, spacecraft, and cryogenic ground systems, built to your drawing.
H-O is a materials converter: thermal system design, materials-and-processes approval, and flight qualification remain with the program.
Built for: Propellant feedline and tank-exterior insulation, cryogenic transfer-line lagging, MLI blanket substrates and spacer layers, blanket vent paths, expansion-joint and interface spacers, low-outgassing thermal layers for optics-adjacent bays, and cryo-adjacent gasketing.
Quick Answer
To insulate cryogenic and space hardware, work the temperature ladder and the contamination budget together. For propellant feedlines and tank exteriors, specify ArmaGel XGC, the cryogenic-class aerogel blanket, or Cryogel Z for sub-ambient service, both die-cut into fitted sleeves and saddles with conductivity per ASTM C177 on the TDS. The remaining zones and duties are mapped in the When-to-spec list on this page. Values are per the TDS on file; see the material reference below for ordering details.
ASTM E595 (outgassing screening: %TML / %CVCM per grade on maker data) · ASTM C177 (steady-state thermal transmission) · ASTM C740 (evacuated reflective insulation in cryogenic service, by designation) · ASTM C1728 (flexible aerogel insulation specification) · ASTM E84 (surface burning, per TDS) · NASA-STD-6016 (materials and processes requirements for spacecraft, by designation) · vendor TDS for per-grade values.
- Propellant feedline / tank exterior: ArmaGel XGC
- Sub-ambient / chilled service: Cryogel Z
- Hot-side GSE lines: Pyrogel XTE
- MLI substrates & spacers: Kapton / Apical film
- Blanket vent paths: ePTFE membrane
- Expansion joints & spacers: SOLIMIDE polyimide foam
- Low-outgassing thermal layers: NeoGraf HiTherm graphite (HT-1200 / HT-C3200: TML ≤0.07%, CVCM <0.01% per NeoGraf)
- Thin thermal breaks: AeroZero thin polymer film
- Cryo-adjacent gasketing: BISCO silicone foam (warm side only, not vacuum-rated) · vacuum-bay seals & cushions: SSP2390 silicone / PORON 4701-50
Where are you in the spec process?
This page serves propulsion, thermal, and ground-systems engineers who already hold a material call-out and engineers still mapping temperature, contamination, and integration constraints. Pick the path that matches where you are. You don’t have to read the rest.
Send a drawing, get a quote
ArmaGel XGC, Cryogel Z, Pyrogel XTE, SOLIMIDE foam, Kapton or Apical film, AeroZero film, NeoGraf graphite, ePTFE membrane, or BISCO silicone foam on your drawing.
Skip to the quote form →Walk through the selection factors
Six selection factors (service temperature, outgassing budget, thermal cycling, vacuum behavior, mechanical loads, integration method), a cryogenic service-temperature ladder, and nine material families with TDS-cited test methods.
Start with selection factors →
How it works
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1
Send drawing
Upload a DXF, STEP, or PDF, or describe the assembly. A sample part works too. -
2
Material review
Engineering reviews the part against the vendor TDS: service-temperature band, outgassing budget, thermal cycling and vacuum exposure, mechanical and launch loads, and how the insulation integrates and gets serviced. -
3
Prototype
Typical prototype lead time is 5–10 business days after drawing review, depending on material availability, tooling, and inspection requirements. Made-to-order; MOQ varies by material and part. -
4
Production
Standard production runs ship about 2 weeks after drawing approval, including kiss-cut-on-liner and laminated configurations. Expedited service available. Ongoing parts run with material traceability and lot-code TDS records.
What are you insulating?
Application Zones
Five distinct material problems hide inside a cryogenic or space program: the propellant feedlines and tank exteriors, where heat ingress is boil-off and ice. The MLI blankets, whose performance lives or dies in their support layers and venting. The ground-support equipment, which spans cryogenic supply to hot-side process lines in one yard. The low-outgassing zones, where the contamination budget gates every material.
And the interfaces, the spacers, expansion joints, and gaskets that join cold hardware to warm structure. Click a tab to see the exposure, the constraint, and the material families H-O converts for that zone.
Propellant feedlines & tank exteriors
On a cryogenic system every watt that leaks in becomes boil-off, ice, or both, and the insulation has to deliver at temperatures where ordinary materials embrittle.
The working family is flexible aerogel blanket: ArmaGel XGC, the cryogenic-class grade, wraps feedlines, tank exteriors, and valve bodies, and Cryogel Z (which Aspen Aerogels rates for sub-ambient and cryogenic service, with an integral vapor barrier) carries sub-ambient and chilled service with water-vapor behavior characterized on its TDS, both holding their conductivity, per ASTM C177, across wide gradients while staying flexible enough to die-cut into fitted sleeves, saddles, and removable segments.
The conversion is the value: cryogenic lines are forests of fittings, flanges, and instruments, and heat leak concentrates exactly where flat-roll insulation gives up. H-O die-cuts the fitted parts, valve covers, flange collars, contour saddles, kitted per line spool, so the installed system matches the thermal model instead of approximating it. [7] [2]
Grade-level properties, standards and caveats for these families are in the material reference below — one card per family, with the TDS links.
MLI blanket substrates, spacers & vent paths
Multilayer insulation works by radiation control: stacks of reflective film layers, commonly aluminized polyimide in flight practice, separated so they touch as little as possible, and vented so trapped air can escape to vacuum without ballooning the blanket. The physics is the program’s. The converted parts are where blankets succeed or fail.
H-O converts the support layers: Kapton HN / FN film substrates and inner layers die-cut to the blanket pattern, spacer and separator details, die-cut vent paths and perforation patterns that let the blanket breathe during ascent, ePTFE membrane patches where a vent must also exclude particulates, and the edge, closeout, and grounding-tab details the blanket drawing calls for.
Reflective metallization and blanket lay-up belong to the program’s M&P process. Conversion precision, clean die-cutting, accurate hole patterns, traceable lots, is what H-O contributes to it. The evacuated-insulation framing is cited by designation per ASTM C740, and every layer is screened against the contamination budget per ASTM E595. [3] [9]
Grade-level properties, standards and caveats for these families are in the material reference below — one card per family, with the TDS links.
Cryogenic GSE & transfer-line insulation
Ground systems span the whole ladder in one facility: cryogenic transfer lines from storage to pad, chilled and ambient utilities beside them, and hot-side process and vaporizer lines a few racks away. The material logic follows the band. Cryogenic and sub-ambient runs take ArmaGel XGC and Cryogel Z with vapor-control discipline at every seam, because a GSE line sweats and ices in humid pad air exactly where the insulation is interrupted.
Hot-side lines step to Pyrogel XTE, the high-temperature industrial aerogel rated for service to 650 °C per the maker’s data. GSE insulation also lives a rougher life than flight hardware, weather, handling, repeated service, so PTFE-coated fiberglass facings and removable, re-installable wrap segments are part of the spec, and surface-burning data per ASTM E84 on the blanket TDS supports facility requirements.
Grade-level properties, standards and caveats for these families are in the material reference below — one card per family, with the TDS links.
Low-outgassing electronics & optics-adjacent layers
In a vacuum, every material becomes a source: volatiles bake out, migrate, and condense on the coldest interesting surface, which is usually a lens or a detector. Space-adjacent material selection therefore runs on two numbers, %TML (total mass loss) and %CVCM (collected volatile condensable materials) per ASTM E595, reported per grade on maker documentation and judged against program limits, with NASA-STD-6016 framing the materials-and-processes requirements at program level.
Within this page’s families: NeoGraf graphite: NeoGraf publishes ASTM E595 data for the pure-graphite HiTherm HT-1200 series and HT-C3200 (HT-1205 TML 0.06% / CVCM <0.01%, HT-1210 0.07% / <0.01%, HT-C3200 0.01% / <0.01%; 24 h at 125 °C); the polymer-enhanced HT-2500 series outgasses and is excluded for space and optical systems, and SpreaderShield carries no published values, making HiTherm graphite thermal layers specifiable in instrument bays where the isolation scheme also permits them; Kapton film is a flight-heritage substrate class; AeroZero thin polymer film serves low-conductance breaks with maker-published outgassing data. And the screening always covers the converted construction, base material plus adhesive plus liner residue, not the family name.
Grade-level properties, standards and caveats for these families are in the material reference below — one card per family, with the TDS links.
Interface spacers, expansion joints & cryo-adjacent gaskets
Cold hardware meets warm structure at hundreds of small interfaces, and each one is simultaneously a heat leak, a condensation site, and a mechanical joint that must survive thermal contraction the structure was not drawn with.
The converted answers are unglamorous and essential: SOLIMIDE polyimide foam spacers and expansion-joint fills that keep resilience across wide temperature swings at almost no mass, per the Boyd TDS; BISCO HT / BF silicone foam gaskets at enclosure covers and access panels on the warm side of the boundary, with compression-deflection per ASTM D1056 (these grades are not vacuum-bay materials: Rogers reports HT-800 CVCM 0.25% and BF-1000 TML 3.46% / CVCM 1.12% per ASTM E595; inside a sealed or optics-adjacent volume the seal is SSP2390 platinum-cured silicone or Low Outgassing Silicone Sheeting, and the cushion is PORON 4701-50 / 4701-60, all with passing E595 data); AeroZero film breaks where a bracket must be decoupled in tenths of a millimeter.
And die-cut standoffs that define the gap between blanket and structure. The discipline is dimensional change: cryogenic contraction moves joints that ambient assembly fixed, so spacer geometry and compression windows are engineered to the cold case, not the assembly case. [8] [4]
Grade-level properties, standards and caveats for these families are in the material reference below — one card per family, with the TDS links.
Six decisions that drive your cryogenic insulation spec
Cryogenic and space insulation has no forgiving middle: heat ingress becomes boil-off, contamination becomes a fogged detector, and a part that cannot be installed cleanly cannot be fixed on orbit. The right spec satisfies six constraints at once, and each one is checkable before anything is cut.
Specify to the cold case, screen to the contamination budget. Dimensions, compression windows, and joints move when hardware chills. Volatiles move when pressure drops. Both behaviors are designed for at the drawing, not discovered at test.
Show all 6 selection factors tap to expand
ASTM E595 reports total mass loss and collected volatile condensable materials per grade, on maker documentation. Program limits, framed at the M&P level by documents like NASA-STD-6016, decide pass / fail. The screening covers the converted construction including adhesives and liners, never just the family name.
Read the six factors below in order. The service band picks the family, the outgassing budget filters it, cycling and vacuum behavior set the construction, mechanical loads set the protection, and the integration method decides the converted format.
Service-temperature band, honestly stated
Cryogenic work spans bands that behave differently: deep-cryogenic propellant service, sub-ambient and chilled utilities, ambient structure, and hot-side process lines on the same ground segment.
The blanket families split accordingly: ArmaGel XGC for cryogenic-class service, Cryogel Z for sub-ambient with vapor control, Pyrogel XTE for the hot side, each with conductivity per ASTM C177 on its TDS. Put the real service band on the drawing, including transient extremes during chill-down and warm-up, and the family selection follows the ladder rather than the catalog page. [2]
Outgassing budget and per-grade screening
If the hardware shares a vacuum with optics, detectors, or sensitive surfaces, the contamination budget gates the material list before thermal performance gets a vote. Screening runs per ASTM E595: %TML and %CVCM per grade on maker documentation, judged against program limits, with the converted construction, base material, adhesive, liner residue, screened as built. NeoGraf publishes E595 data for the HiTherm HT-1200 series and HT-C3200 (the HT-2500 series is excluded for space); SpreaderShield carries no published values. Film and aerogel makers report per grade. State the program limits on the drawing and the candidate list narrows itself. [1]
Thermal cycling and dimensional change
Chill-down moves everything: structure contracts, gaps close or open, and compression windows set at ambient assembly drift at temperature. Materials that stay resilient across the swing, SOLIMIDE foam spacers, silicone-class gaskets on the warm side, earn their place, and spacer geometry is engineered to the cold case. Dimension the joints at operating temperature, state the cycle count, and let compression windows be checked against both ends of the swing per the TDS data. [8]
Vacuum behavior and venting
Sealed volumes and layered blankets carry air to altitude and orbit, and that air must leave through designed paths or it will make its own: ballooned blankets, lifted layers, stressed seams during ascent depressurization. Venting is a converted feature, perforation patterns, die-cut vent paths, ePTFE membrane patches where particulate control matters, sized by the program’s ascent profile.
The evacuated-insulation framing is ASTM C740 territory, cited by designation. Specify the vent geometry on the blanket drawing; it is as real as the layer count. [3]
Mechanical and launch loads
Launch shakes, acoustics batter, and handling damages more insulation than flight does. The countermeasures are constructions: facings and edge reinforcement on blanket segments, PTFE-coated fiberglass wear plies on GSE runs, retention features die-cut into the parts, and materials whose mechanical data per TDS supports the load case, not just the thermal case. Send the load and handling environment with the drawing, flight vs GSE, one-shot vs serviced, and the construction review happens at spec.
Integration method and kitting
Cryogenic insulation installs on real hardware in real sequence: spool by spool on lines, panel by panel on blankets, with closeouts last. The converted format follows the method, removable wrap segments with engineered overlaps for serviceable GSE, fitted one-piece covers for valves and flanges, kitted blanket detail sets in lay-up order for spacecraft work, every part labeled and lot-traceable. Specify the installation sequence and service expectations; H-O kits to them, and the install matches the thermal model on the first try.
Specification Tools
Two tools to take you from “I have a cryogenic insulation problem” to here’s what to put on the drawing: a service-temperature ladder that maps each band to the families that serve it, and a side-by-side comparison matrix of every material on this page.
1. Cryogenic service-temperature ladder
Click a service band from deep-cryogenic propellants to hot-side ground systems. The ladder returns the material families mapped to that band, the governing concern, and the integration watch-out. Qualitative, per the H-O application research and the material TDS. Cryogen boiling points are physical constants at one atmosphere.
Click a temperature band above
Each band returns its governing engineering concern, the material families mapped to it, and the watch-out that costs programs the most.
2. Side-by-side: cryogenic & space material matrix
Every material family called out on this page, with its construction, outgassing-data framing as reported on its TDS, and the band it serves. Click a column header to sort. Click any material name to jump to its accordion entry and full TDS reference.
| Material | Construction | Flame / FST data (TDS) | Key test methods | Form factor | Suited to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerogel blanket grades | ||||||
| ArmaGel XGCCryogenic-class aerogel blanket | Aerogel blanket | ASTM E84 data (TDS) | ASTM C177, C1728 | Feedlines, tank exteriors | ||
| Cryogel ZSub-ambient / vapor-control grade | Aerogel blanket | ASTM E84 data (TDS) | ASTM C177, E96-class | Sub-ambient / chilled lines | ||
| Pyrogel XTEHigh-temp industrial grade | Aerogel blanket | ASTM E84 data (TDS) | ASTM C177, C447 | Hot-side GSE lines | ||
| Films, membranes & thermal layers | ||||||
| Kapton / Apical Polyimide FilmHN general; FN bondable | Polyimide film | Per DuPont TDS | ASTM E595 (maker) | MLI substrates, plies | ||
| AeroZero Thin Polymer FilmPolyimide-aerogel film | Aerogel film | Per maker TDS | ASTM E595 (maker) | Thin breaks, standoffs | ||
| ePTFE MembraneMicro-porous hydrophobic sheet | Expanded PTFE | Per Gore datasheet | Per Gore datasheet | Blanket vent patches | ||
| NeoGraf Graphite (SpreaderShield / HiTherm)SS series; HiTherm HT-1205 / HT-1210 / HT-C3200 | Flexible graphite | Per NeoGraf TDS | ASTM E595, D5470 | Low-outgassing thermal layers | ||
| Foams, spacers & gaskets | ||||||
| SOLIMIDE Polyimide FoamAerospace grades (TA / AC series) | Open-cell polyimide foam | FST data per Boyd TDS | ASTM C177-class | Spacers, expansion joints | ||
| BISCO HT / BF Silicone FoamHT-800 series; BF grades | Closed-cell silicone foam | UL 94 / E162 / E662 (TDS) | ASTM D1056 | Warm-side gaskets (not vacuum-rated) | ||
Skip ahead and request your engineering review now
If your drawing already calls out an ArmaGel, Cryogel, Pyrogel, SOLIMIDE, Kapton, AeroZero, graphite, or ePTFE grade, send it over for engineering review.
Cryogenic insulation failures you can prevent at spec
Cryogenic and space insulation failures rarely show at delivery. The blankets fit, the lines chill down, the blanket closeouts photograph beautifully. Then the system accumulates cycles and the bill arrives: boil-off creeping up, ice where no ice belonged, a detector fogged by a material nobody screened. Five patterns cover most of what fails in this domain, and each one is a specification decision made before first chill-down.
Cryogenic failures concentrate at interruptions. Fittings, supports, seams, and closeouts, the places flat-roll insulation gives up, are where heat leaks in, ice grows, and vapor drives. The fitted, die-cut detail parts are not accessories. They are the system.
Show all 5 failure modes tap to expand
1. Boil-off creeps up because the fittings were never really insulated
The straight runs got beautiful blanket coverage. The valves, flanges, and supports got wrap-and-tape improvisation. Months later boil-off has crept past the budget, and thermography shows the leak concentrated exactly at the interruptions. The fix: treat fitted detail parts, valve covers, flange collars, contour saddles, support spacers, as primary deliverables: die-cut to the real geometry, kitted per spool, engineered overlaps at every closure. The thermal model assumed continuity. The parts list has to deliver it. [7]
2. A sub-ambient line ices through its own seams
A chilled line gets a high-performance blanket with ordinary seam discipline. Humid pad air finds the seams, vapor drives toward the cold surface, and the line grows ice under its insulation until the jacket splits. The fix: below the dew point, the vapor layer governs: specify the sub-ambient grade (Cryogel Z) with its vapor-control behavior per the TDS, detail seam sealing and overlap geometry on the drawing, and treat every penetration as a vapor detail, not just a thermal one. [7]
3. A blanket balloons during ascent because venting was an afterthought
An MLI blanket that passed every ground test balloons during ascent depressurization: trapped air has nowhere to go, layers lift, seams stress, and standoff distances the radiation design depended on are gone. The fix: vent paths are die-cut features, perforation patterns, edge vents, ePTFE-patched openings where particulate control matters, sized to the ascent profile and drawn on the blanket like any other dimension.
The evacuated-insulation framing (ASTM C740) is cited by designation. The vent geometry is the program’s to specify and ours to cut. [3]
4. A detector fogs because a construction was screened by family name
Every base material in the bay had heritage, but the converted construction, material plus adhesive plus liner residue, was never screened as built, and one adhesive layer outgassed onto the coldest optical surface. The fix: screen the construction per ASTM E595, %TML and %CVCM per grade on maker data, against program limits framed by the M&P requirements (NASA-STD-6016 by designation), including every adhesive and liner the converter adds. State the limits on the drawing. The screening then has a number to meet. [1]
5. A spacer dimensioned warm goes loose cold
An interface spacer compressed perfectly at ambient assembly, then chill-down contracted the joint and the spacer went loose: heat leak rose, the line chattered against its bracket, and the wear pattern was visible at the next inspection. The fix: dimension cryogenic joints at the cold case: account for contraction in the gap stack, pick materials that stay resilient across the swing (SOLIMIDE foam per the Boyd TDS), and verify the compression window at both temperature ends rather than at the bench. [8]
Material reference
Detailed reference for the nine material families on this page: the aerogel blanket grades (ArmaGel XGC, Cryogel Z, Pyrogel XTE), the film and membrane layer (Kapton / Apical polyimide, AeroZero thin polymer film, ePTFE membrane), the thermal layer (NeoGraf graphite), and the foams (SOLIMIDE polyimide foam, BISCO HT / BF silicone foam). Thermal conductivity is tested per ASTM C177, flexible aerogel is specified per ASTM C1728, outgassing is screened per ASTM E595, and compression behavior per ASTM D1056, as listed on each TDS.
H-O die-cuts and converts all of them to drawing. Per-grade values are per the TDS on file, not headline numbers.
ArmaGel XGC (Cryogenic-Class Aerogel Blanket)
Feedlines & tank exteriors · cryogenic-class service · ASTM C177 per TDS
The cryogenic grade of the ArmaGel family: specify it by the service band, and spend the engineering on the fitted details, covers, collars, saddles, where heat leak actually concentrates. Per-grade values are per the Armacell TDS on file.
Cryogel Z (Sub-Ambient Aerogel Blanket)
Sub-ambient & chilled service · vapor control · ASTM C177 per TDS
Below the dew point the vapor layer governs: pair the grade with seam discipline and penetration details drawn as vapor features. Per-grade values per the Aspen Aerogels TDS on file.
Pyrogel XTE (High-Temperature Aerogel Blanket)
Hot-side GSE lines · max use temp 650 °C (1200 °F) per Aspen Aerogels Pyrogel XTE TDS (ASTM C447) · ASTM C177 per TDS
The ladder’s hot rung: industrial high-temperature headroom in the same die-cuttable blanket format, so one converting approach serves the whole yard. Values per the Aspen Aerogels TDS on file.
Kapton HN / FN & Apical Polyimide Film
MLI substrates & plies · flight-heritage film class · per DuPont TDS
Metallization and blanket lay-up belong to the program’s M&P process; H-O’s contribution is converting precision: clean die-cutting, accurate perforation patterns, and lot-traceable film details to the blanket drawing.
AeroZero Thin Polymer Film
Thin breaks & standoffs · low-outgassing aerogel film · per maker TDS
- AZ-TPS 102 / 103 / 104 low-outgassing acrylic-adhesive configurations, ASTM E595 TML <1% / CVCM <0.1% — the acrylic system carries a lower temperature ceiling than silicone grades, verify on the TDS
- AZ-TPS VDA PI 100 vapor-deposited-aluminum reflective face, 240 µm, UL 94 VTM-0 — turns back radiant load (IR reflectivity 0.94 per manufacturer data)
- AZ-TPS 100 · AZ-TPS 101 single- and double-sided silicone-PSA aerogel film, 190–216 µm, UL 94 VTM-0
- AZ-TPS PI 100 polyimide-faced aerogel film, 240 µm, UL 94 VTM-0 — durable outer skin for handling and wear
The precision instrument of this page: thermal resistance in film thickness, with outgassing data to screen. Geometry carries the value. Treat it as a die-cut component, not a wrap.
ePTFE Membrane (Venting & Particulate Control)
Blanket vent patches · hydrophobic micro-porous · per Gore datasheet
Venting is designed, not hoped for: the patch passes ascent depressurization while keeping contamination out. Size open area to the profile and place patches per the blanket drawing.
NeoGraf Graphite (SpreaderShield SS; eGRAF HiTherm HT-1205 / HT-1210 / HT-C3200)
Low-outgassing thermal layers · electrically conductive · ASTM E595 per maker
Graphite earns its place in space hardware on E595 data and vacuum-stable thermal performance, and it remains electrically conductive: the isolation verification belongs on the drawing. Per-grade values per the NeoGraf TDS on file. Conductive graphite must be verified against the module isolation scheme, chassis grounding, creepage and clearance, and overall system isolation requirements before specification; isolated-baseplate modules alone do not guarantee safe use.
SOLIMIDE Polyimide Foam (Aerospace Grades)
Spacers & expansion joints · resilient across wide ranges · per Boyd TDS
The interface workhorse: dimension it to the cold case, let the foam’s resilience absorb the swing, and keep per-grade values on the Boyd TDS where they belong.
BISCO HT / BF Silicone Foam (HT-800 Series, BF Grades)
Warm-side gaskets near cryo hardware · closed-cell · ASTM D1056 per TDS
Keep elastomeric gaskets on the warm side of the boundary and let foams and films carry the cold side. These silicone foams are not vacuum-bay materials (Rogers ASTM E595: HT-800 CVCM 0.25%, BF-1000 TML 3.46% / CVCM 1.12%); sealed or optics-adjacent volumes take SSP2390 silicone or PORON 4701-50 / 4701-60 instead. Silicone-class set behavior is what keeps these joints sealing through cycles. Values per the Rogers TDS on file.
PTFE-Coated FiberglassHeat- & chemical-resistant non-stick · process aids & release
Deep-dive answers below — or skip straight to the quote
Everything below this line is the reference tail: the engineer-grade FAQ, the glossary and the governing standards. If you already have a drawing set or can describe the line, the service temperature, and the envelope, the intake form takes about two minutes.
Cryogenic & space systems insulation: engineer-grade FAQ
Fifteen of the questions we hear most from launch-vehicle, spacecraft, and ground-systems engineers and from aerospace purchasing teams. If your question isn’t here, send a drawing or call, engineering picks up.
What insulation is used on cryogenic propellant lines?
Flexible aerogel blanket, die-cut to the line. ArmaGel XGC is the cryogenic-class grade for feedlines, tank exteriors, and transfer lines; Cryogel Z carries sub-ambient and chilled service where vapor control governs. Both report conductivity per ASTM C177 on their TDS and stay flexible enough to convert into fitted sleeves, valve covers, and flange collars, which is where the installed performance is actually decided. SOLIMIDE foam spacers handle the supports. [7]
What is MLI, and what parts of it does a converter supply?
Multilayer insulation: stacks of reflective film layers, separated and vented, that control radiative heat transfer in vacuum. The radiation design, metallization, and lay-up belong to the program. The converter supplies the support layers, die-cut Kapton substrates and details, spacer and separator plies, perforation and vent patterns, ePTFE vent patches, and edge closeouts, cut clean and lot-traceable to the blanket drawing. The evacuated-insulation framing is cited by designation per ASTM C740. [3]
What do %TML and %CVCM mean, and what limits apply?
They are the two outputs of the ASTM E595 vacuum-bake screening: total mass loss and collected volatile condensable materials, measured per grade and reported on maker documentation. Programs set their own limits, commonly framed through materials-and-processes requirements such as NASA-STD-6016, and the screening must cover the converted construction, base material, adhesive, liner residue, as built. This page cites the method and keeps the values on the makers’ data, where they belong. [1]
How is cryogenic insulation different from ordinary aircraft insulation?
Direction and stakes. Aircraft insulation manages comfort and efficiency around ambient. Cryogenic insulation prevents heat ingress into systems hundreds of degrees colder, where every leak is boil-off, ice, or schedule. The materials change accordingly, cryogenic-class aerogel grades, resilient polyimide foams, film systems engineered for contraction, and the converting changes too: fitted details at every interruption, because that is where cryogenic systems actually lose.
Why does ice form on insulated cryogenic lines?
Because somewhere the insulation is interrupted or its vapor layer is breached: bare fittings, unsealed seams, crushed sections at supports. Humid air reaches a surface below freezing, and the ice that forms degrades the insulation further. The countermeasures are converted details, fitted covers at every fitting, engineered seam overlaps, vapor-tight penetrations, and spacers that keep lines from contacting brackets, specified on the drawing rather than improvised at the pad.
Is aerogel blanket always the right answer for cryogenic systems?
No. Aerogel owns the thermal-performance-per-thickness problem, which is why it dominates feedline and transfer-line duty, but integration decides the rest: SOLIMIDE foam carries spacers and expansion joints, film systems carry MLI and vapor layers, and some locations are better served by the program’s existing qualified constructions. The honest method is the ladder: match the band, screen the budget, then engineer the details. Material selection without integration discipline is how good materials fail. [14]
Can graphite thermal materials fly on spacecraft?
Yes, where two screenings pass. NeoGraf publishes ASTM E595 outgassing data for the pure-graphite HiTherm HT-1200 series and HT-C3200 (TML 0.01–0.07%, CVCM <0.01%), which is what makes those grades specifiable near instruments; the polymer-enhanced HT-2500 series outgasses and is excluded for space, and SpreaderShield has no published values, and graphite remains electrically conductive, so the isolation scheme, grounding, and clearance must be verified before specification, exactly as in any avionics bay. Where both hold, graphite delivers vacuum-stable conduction paths and spreading that polymers cannot. [12]
What does ground-support insulation need that flight insulation doesn’t?
Survivability and serviceability. GSE lives outdoors, gets handled constantly, and is expected to come apart and go back together: removable wrap segments with engineered overlaps, PTFE-coated fiberglass facings against weather and boots, touch-protection covers on the hot side (Pyrogel XTE territory), and surface-burning data per ASTM E84 on the TDS for facility requirements. Same thermal physics, much rougher life. The converting format is the difference. [5]
Can H-O supply kitted insulation detail sets for spacecraft and launch programs?
Yes. The deliverable is the kit: fitted line covers per spool, blanket detail sets in lay-up order, spacer and standoff sets per station, every part die-cut to drawing, labeled, lot-traceable, and packed for cleanroom or pad flow. H-O die-cuts, kiss-cuts, perforates, laminates, and kits across the nine families on this page as an ISO 9001:2015 certified organization in Winsted, Connecticut.
Does H-O perform thermal design or hold space-flight qualification?
No. Thermal design, M&P approval (NASA-STD-6016-class requirements), and flight qualification belong to the program. Material values belong to the makers’ TDS. H-O’s role is converting documented materials to your qualified drawing, repeatably, with the lot-coded traceability your program’s paperwork expects. That boundary is why converter-supplied parts can drop into a flight program’s process at all. [6]
Why does this page frame values as “per the TDS on file”?
Because cryogenic and space numbers are condition-dependent: conductivity moves with mean temperature (ASTM C177 reports it that way), outgassing with grade and construction (ASTM E595), and compression with temperature. A single headline number flatters one condition and misleads the rest. This page names the governing methods and keeps per-grade values on the maker TDS, which H-O reviews against your drawing during quoting. [2]
How do orders run for made-to-order cryogenic insulation components?
Send a drawing, BOM, or sample part. Engineering reviews the parts against the TDS layer and your service bands, outgassing limits, and integration sequence, then quotes prototype and production. Everything is made-to-order against the drawing; MOQ varies by material and part. Typical prototype lead time is 5–10 business days after drawing review, depending on material availability, tooling, and inspection requirements. Lead-time details live in the process strip above and the quote form below.
What tolerances can H-O hold on a die-cut insulation blanket detail or spacer?
Tolerance depends on the material class, the thickness, and the cut method. Soft foams and sponges move more than rigid laminates or films, so the achievable band is material-specific. Flag the critical dimensions on your drawing. Engineering confirms the achievable tolerance band for your geometry at drawing review, before tooling is committed. That review, not a generic chart, is what goes into the quote.
Can H-O work from a sample part instead of a drawing?
Yes. Send the sample part and engineering measures it, confirms the geometry back to you at drawing review, and quotes from that confirmed geometry. A drawing is still the fastest path, because nothing has to be reverse-measured. A DXF, STEP, or PDF with the material call-out shortens the review.
How does H-O document material traceability on shipped parts?
Every part ships against the source manufacturer's grade designation, and the TDS for that grade is the document of record for its properties. Lot-level material traceability is maintained under our ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system, and certificates of conformance are available on request at quoting. If your program needs specific certs, flag them on the RFQ so they are priced in from the start.
Glossary: terms used on this page
Quick reference for the cryogenic, vacuum, and contamination-control terminology used throughout. Each entry links to the relevant test method or section where applicable.
Boil-off
Cryogenic propellant lost to vaporization as heat leaks into the system. The budget every feedline and tank insulation exists to protect. It concentrates at fittings, supports, and seams, which is why fitted die-cut details govern installed performance.
MLI (multilayer insulation)
Vacuum insulation built from stacked reflective film layers, separated and vented, that controls radiative transfer. Converter-supplied parts are the support layers: substrates, spacers, vent patterns, and closeout details. Framed by designation per ASTM C740 [3].
ASTM E595 (%TML / %CVCM)
The vacuum-bake outgassing screening: total mass loss and collected volatile condensable materials per grade, on maker data, judged against program limits. The gate for everything near optics and detectors. [1]
Aerogel blanket
Flexible insulation made by reinforcing silica aerogel with a fiber batt: extreme thermal resistance per unit thickness, per ASTM C177 [2] values on the TDS, in grades spanning cryogenic (XGC), sub-ambient (Cryogel Z), and high-temperature (Pyrogel XTE) service.
Vapor drive
The migration of water vapor toward a cold surface, where it condenses and freezes. On sub-ambient hardware the insulation’s vapor layer, grade behavior plus seam and penetration discipline, governs more than its conductivity.
Chill-down / cold case
The transition from ambient to cryogenic operating temperature, contracting structure and shifting joints. Spacers and compression windows are dimensioned to the cold case, because that is the case the hardware lives in.
Vent path (blanket venting)
The designed route by which trapped gas leaves a blanket or sealed volume during ascent depressurization: perforation patterns, edge vents, membrane-patched openings. A die-cut drawing feature, sized to the ascent profile.
GSE (ground support equipment)
The pad- and facility-side hardware that stores, moves, and conditions cryogens. Its insulation shares physics with flight hardware and adds weather, handling, and serviceability, hence removable segments, facings, and touch-protection covers.
Thermal strap / conduction path
A flexible high-conductance link that moves heat from a source to a radiator or structure in vacuum. Graphite serves this duty with E595 data per the maker. It is electrically conductive, so isolation is verified first.
M&P (materials and processes) requirements
The program-level rules governing what may fly and how it is processed, framed by documents such as NASA-STD-6016 [6]. Converters work inside them: documented materials, traceable lots, qualified drawings.
Closeout (blanket detail)
The edge, seam, and penetration details that finish an insulation blanket: where layers terminate, grounding tabs land, and vent paths exit. Closeout details are converted parts, and most blanket performance disputes are closeout disputes.
Last updated · Reviewed by H-O Products engineering (ISO 9001:2015 certified converter, Winsted, CT).
Standards, test methods & technical references
The standards, test methods, and vendor technical data sheets cited throughout this page. Standards editions current as of June 2026. Verify against the publishing body before final spec. H-O converts materials that are tested to these methods on the source manufacturer’s TDS; H-O does not independently certify materials, and flight qualification remains with the airframer or system integrator.
Full standards & reference detail
ASTM E595
Standard Test Method for Total Mass Loss and Collected Volatile Condensable Materials from Outgassing in a Vacuum Environment: the %TML / %CVCM screening behind space-adjacent material selection. Values per grade on maker data. astm.org/e0595
ASTM C177
Standard Test Method for Steady-State Heat Flux Measurements and Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Guarded-Hot-Plate Apparatus: the conductivity method behind the aerogel and foam thermal values on the TDS. astm.org/c0177
ASTM C740
Standard Practice for Evacuated Reflective Insulation in Cryogenic Service: the framing for MLI-class insulation systems, cited by designation. System design belongs to the program. astm.org/c0740
ASTM D1056
Standard Specification for Flexible Cellular Materials, Sponge or Expanded Rubber: the compression-deflection framework behind the silicone-foam gasket grades on this page. astm.org/d1056
ASTM E84
Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials: the flame-spread / smoke-developed data cited on aerogel-blanket TDS for facility and GSE installations. astm.org/e0084
NASA-STD-6016
Standard Materials and Processes Requirements for Spacecraft: the program-level M&P framing within which material screening (including E595 limits) is set. Cited by designation. Compliance belongs to the program. standards.nasa.gov
Aerogel blanket technical data (Armacell ArmaGel XGC; Aspen Aerogels Cryogel Z / Pyrogel XTE)
Manufacturer TDS for the three aerogel grades on this page: conductivity per ASTM C177, surface burning per ASTM E84, vapor behavior on the sub-ambient grade, and the Pyrogel XTE maximum use temperature of 1200 °F (650 °C) determined per ASTM C447 (Estimation of Maximum Use Temperature). armacell.com · aerogel.com
Boyd SOLIMIDE polyimide foam technical data
Manufacturer data for the SOLIMIDE aerospace grades: density, thermal data, resilience across wide temperature ranges, and FST test data per grade. per the SOLIMIDE manufacturer TDS
DuPont Kapton / Kaneka Apical polyimide film technical data
Manufacturer data for Kapton HN / FN and Apical films: thickness ladder, thermal capability, bondable FN constructions, and per-grade outgassing data. dupont.com
Blueshift AeroZero thin polymer film technical data
Manufacturer data for AeroZero polyimide-aerogel film: thickness, thermal behavior, and outgassing data per the maker’s documentation. blueshiftmaterials.com
Gore ePTFE membrane technical data
Manufacturer datasheets for ePTFE membrane sheet: airflow, water-entry, and particulate-control characteristics used for vent-patch sizing. gore.com
NeoGraf SpreaderShield / eGRAF HiTherm technical data
Manufacturer data for the graphite families on this page, including ASTM E595 outgassing data for the HiTherm HT-1200 series and HT-C3200 and thermal impedance framing per ASTM D5470. neograf.com
Rogers BISCO silicone foam technical data
Manufacturer TDS for the HT / BF silicone foams: compression-deflection per ASTM D1056, UL 94 listings, and flame / smoke data per grade. rogerscorp.com
ASTM C1728
Standard Specification for Flexible Aerogel Insulation: the material specification class behind the flexible aerogel blankets on this page. astm.org/c1728
Updated . Standards editions and links current at publication. Verify against the publishing body before final spec. H-O converts materials tested to the methods cited. Lot-specific documentation available on request.
Get a cryogenic insulation engineering quote
Send a drawing, BOM, or spec sheet. We typically respond within one business day with a material-family recommendation, prototype lead time, and TDS verification against your service bands, outgassing limits, and integration sequence.
Prefer to talk it through first? Contact the engineering team or call (860) 469-1144.
See also: related H-O application pages
Engineering content for the adjacent aerospace application categories, all under the aerospace, defense & space industry hub and the thermal management & insulation overview.
Spacecraft & launch vehicle materials
The broader space-hardware materials set: thermal control, structural interfaces, and ground support beyond insulation. Read the page Application pageAvionics thermal management & interface materials
The electronics side of the thermal problem: graphite spreaders, TIM pads, and dielectric boundaries for the boxes these systems carry. Read the page Application pageEngine bay & nacelle thermal insulation
The hot end of aerospace insulation: fire barriers, blanket cores, and bleed-air duct lagging. Read the page Application pageFuselage, cabin & ECS thermal insulation
Airframe insulation around ambient: blanket packages, moisture control, and ECS duct systems. Read the page Application pageMissiles, UAVs & weapons systems
High-shock thermal and protection materials for compact, severe-environment flight hardware. Read the page Industry hubAerospace, defense & space materials
The full industry directory: every aerospace sub-application H-O converts for, from thermal insulation to EMI shielding. Open the hubMaterial data & standards. All material properties and ratings referenced on this page are taken from the source manufacturer’s technical data sheets and the cited standards: thermal conductivity per ASTM C177, flexible aerogel specification per ASTM C1728, outgassing screening per ASTM E595 (%TML / %CVCM per grade on maker data), surface burning per ASTM E84, compression behavior per ASTM D1056, and ASTM C740 / NASA-STD-6016 cited qualitatively as system- and program-level framing.
Cryogen temperatures referenced are approximate boiling points at one atmosphere. This page frames performance qualitatively and keeps per-grade values on the TDS, where they belong. H-O converts materials tested to these methods; H-O does not perform thermal design, does not hold M&P approval authority, and makes no flight-qualification claims. Verify against the vendor TDS and your program’s requirements for your specific application.
Conversion scope. H-O die-cuts and converts blanket, sheet, film, and membrane stock to drawing in Winsted, Connecticut: fitted insulation sleeves and covers, blanket support layers and perforation patterns, vent patches, spacers and expansion-joint fills, laminated constructions, and sequence-kitted detail sets, with material traceability and lot-code TDS records, as an ISO 9001:2015 certified organization. H-O does not manufacture raw material in-house.
Extruded or molded profiles are coordinated through a partner network. Lead-time and MOQ details are on the process strip and in the quote form above.