ENDURE-ing Generations: A Bioinspired Approach to Long-Duration Space Missions

The operational lifespan of most contemporary space missions is limited to several decades, which is insufficient for validating the materials, electronics, and spacecraft architecture required for future multi-generational or interstellar exploration. This limitation highlights a critical technological gap: the lack of authentic, long-duration in-situ data on cumulative environmental degradation under realistic orbital conditions. Accelerated ground testing cannot fully replicate the combined effects of radiation, thermal cycling, atomic oxygen erosion, and long-term material aging encountered in orbit. To address this gap, the Engineered Networking Device for Ultra-Resilient Exploration (ENDURE) is proposed as a survivability-driven CubeSat orbital testbed. The system integrates bioinspired radiation-attenuating material analogs, self-healing carbon-fiber composites, and a decentralized low-power flight computer architecture. ENDURE prioritizes long-term functional persistence, enabling the collection of critical degradation data needed to inform the design of resilient spacecraft for future long-duration exploration missions.