Different components, subunits and ready-to-fly devices have to be packed for long-term storage as the scheduled assembly or launch is not in line with the finishing of these components. Furthermore, the devices have to be transferred to the launch sites across countries and continents. A broad accepted method is to pack components and devices primarily in hermetically sealed polymeric foil systems.

On major contamination topic is the transfer of organic contaminations (MOC) onto space components.

The tested foil systems focus on different contamination scenarios and are qualified for example regarding humidity barrier, electrostatic discharge or low particulate contamination. Unfortunately, no system is available with data regarding contamination behavior in a long term storage scenario.

In order to get a better understanding of the contamination potential of six selected well known polymeric foil material, several aspects are assessed during this study.

The initial characterization focusses on initial contamination potential of the originally virgin foil systems. MOC contact transfer onto freshly packed components is assessed using different stress factors: virgin, different contact pressures and durations, contact with ultra-pure water and isopropanol, thermal stress at different temperatures and intense UVC-exposure.

The MOC contamination behavior of polymeric foil material may change during aging, as polymeric foil material can outgas volatile compounds over an extended period of time, which may condense on neighboring surfaces. This effect may be time dependent and is assessed in a recently finished long-term storage experiment over two years. Direct and indirect contact transfer is assessed using a robust witness sample system and subsequent thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometer (ATD-GC/MS) analysis at defined time intervals. Also, the humidity barrier behavior is quantified for each polymeric foil systems.

Several hundreds of individual measurements allow a deep understanding of the MOC long term contamination behavior of six commercially foil systems