Space exemplifies the ultimate test-bed environment for any materials technology. The harsh conditions of space, with extreme temperature changes, lack of gravity and atmosphere, intense solar and cosmic radiation, and mechanical stresses of launch and deployment, represent a multifaceted set of challenges. The materials we engineer must not only meet these challenges, but they need to do so while keeping overall mass to a minimum and guaranteeing performance over long periods of time with no opportunity for repair. Nanophotonic materials—materials that embody structural variations on a scale comparable to the wavelength of light—offer opportunities for addressing some of these difficulties. Here, we examine how advances in nanophotonics and nanofabrication are enabling ultrathin and lightweight structures with unparalleled ability to shape light–matter interactions over a broad electromagnetic spectrum. From solar panels that can be fabricated in space to applications of light for propulsion, the next generation of lightweight and multifunctional photonic materials stands to both impact existing technologies and pave the way for new space technologies.

空间是任何材料技术的终极试验台环境的典范。空间的苛刻条件，极端的温度变化，缺乏重力和大气，强烈的太阳辐射和宇宙辐射以及发射和展开的机械应力，构成了一系列多方面的挑战。我们设计的材料不仅必须应对这些挑战，而且还必须做到这一点，同时将总质量降至最低，并保证长时间内的性能而没有维修的机会。纳米光子材料是体现结构变化的材料，其规模可与光的波长相比，为解决这些难题提供了机会。这里，我们研究了纳米光子学和纳米制造技术的进步如何使超薄和轻质的结构具有无与伦比的能力，可以在宽广的电磁频谱上塑造光与物质的相互作用。从可以在太空中制造的太阳能电池板到用于推进的光的应用，下一代轻巧和多功能的光子材料必将影响现有技术并为新的太空技术铺平道路。