ISO 23230:2023

Overview

ISO 23230:2023 - "Space systems - Paints and varnishes - Processes, procedures, and requirements for coating materials and coatings" defines requirements and best practices for selecting, verifying, preparing, applying and inspecting paints, varnishes and other coating materials used on spacecraft and space-system components. The standard targets coatings with long active lifetimes and harmonizes international requirements to improve coating quality and reliability in the space environment.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and purpose

  • Selection of coating materials and coatings for space applications.
  • Processes and procedures for verification, surface preparation, application, curing and quality control.
  • Identification of coating defect types and their causes.

• Required coating properties

  • Thermal control, electrically conductive or insulating, thermal resistance, anticorrosion, chemical resistance and resistance to space environment factors.

• Verification and testing

  • Material verification and validation procedures (referenced to ISO 10794 and ECSS‑Q‑ST‑70‑71C).
  • Environmental testing: accelerated aging, salt spray (ISO 9227), thermal cycling, atomic oxygen, particle and UV exposure.
  • Outgassing metrics: TML (total mass loss), RML (recovered mass loss) and CVCM (collected volatile condensable materials). Materials with TML < 1.0 %, RML < 1.0 % and CVCM < 0.1 % are generally considered low-outgassing.

• Process controls

  • Normative documentation and delivery documentation requirements, including warranty/storage periods.
  • Surface preparation for metallic and non-metallic substrates to ensure adhesion.
  • Preparation of ready-to-apply coating materials, application parameters, curing/drying methods and operational inspections during application.
  • Quality control of applied coatings and informative test methods (Annex A) and defect diagnosis (Annex B).

Practical applications

• Specification and qualification of spacecraft surface finishes (payload and platform surfaces).
• Selection and verification of coatings for thermal control systems, electronic enclosures, structural parts, tools and onboard facilities.
• Creating production process documentation for painting lines that manufacture or service space hardware.
• Reducing contamination risk for sensitive instruments by enforcing low-outgassing and validated coating processes.

Who should use ISO 23230:2023

• Manufacturers of space systems products and suppliers of paints/varnishes for aerospace.
• Materials, process and quality engineers responsible for spacecraft coatings.
• Program managers and product assurance teams defining procurement and acceptance criteria for coatings.

Related standards

• ISO 16691 (thermal control coatings)
• ISO 9227 (salt spray corrosion testing)
• ISO 4628-8 (evaluation of coating degradation)
• ISO 10794 and ECSS‑Q‑ST‑70‑71C (materials/process data selection and verification)

ISO 23230:2023 is a practical reference for organizations that need robust, traceable processes for coatings used in demanding space environments.