With the increasing number of human-made objects in space each year, it is necessary to consider the sustainability of space travel to reduce space debris. Satellites are typically equipped with different energy sources on board, which need to be passivated at the end of life. For pressured energy sources (i.e. propulsion tanks) passivation is reached by depletion of all pressure at the end of mission. Two methods are possible, depletion burns (long time frame) or rapid venting through devices like pyrotechnic valves (preferred).

The pyrotechnic materials are often limited in lifetime due to degradation effects (life time or environment). This has an effect on the economic or scientific goals of the spacecraft.

Shape memory alloy valves do not rely on pyrotechnic materials and are not subject to lifetime restrictions due to their design.
The key element of the valve, the Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator is a hollow cylinder made of a binary Nickel-Titanium. Shape memory alloys contain a mix of martensite and austenite metallic structures and have the possibility to transform from one into the another by either thermal or mechanical actions. By pseudo-plastically transforming the element in a cold state to a reduced actuator length, the preconditioning of the material is accomplished and the crystalline structure of the alloy is changed from a twinned martensite state to a detwinned martensite state. By applying thermal energy with an ESCC-conform heater to the valve in its assembled state, the actuator returns its length to the dimensions before the pre-conditioning took place. This elonguation is used to actuate the valve from a closed to an open state.

First successful applications in space have been proven on the following missions:
* Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat), a German small GEO communication satellite in 2023
* JAXA SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) moon lander in 2024