Portuguese Cork Flies to Outer Space . . . Again
- @ Cynthia Adina Kirkwood
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A cork oak is harvested after about 25 years. It grows a thin layer of bark every year. After the bark is removed, it takes about nine years for it to become thick enough to harvest again. Each tree is marked with the last digit of the year in which the harvest was carried out. Over the course of a cork oak's 150- to 200-year-lifespan, it can be harvested about 15 times. (Photo from Associação Portuguesa do Cortiça)
News that Iran is evaluating the United States' peace proposal boosted European markets on May 6. The Lisbon stock exchange closed with a positive gain, with the cork company, Corticeira Amorim, leading the rest, soaring 4.90 percent to €7.06, reported O Jornal Económico (May 6).
In April, Corticeira Amorim's Portuguese cork also soared on a return to outer space in Artemis II, a crewed flyby of the Moon. Corticeira Amorim's cork-based composites have been used in the aerospace industry since the 1960s due to their ablation and insulation properties, according to Amorim. They have low weight, reduced thermal conductivity, durability, and they create a protective resistant layer.
After being part of the Artemis I mission in 2022, Portuguese cork was chosen again by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to be integrated into the thermal protection system of the Artemis II spacecraft, Corticeira Amorim said in a statement, according to Expresso (April 10).
Cork sacrificed itself.
"As temperatures rise, the material undergoes a controlled transformation, forming a carbonized layer which reinforces thermal resistance and protects the underlying structures," said Eduardo Soares, innovation director at Amorim Cork Solutions.
The insulating material is known as Cork P50 in the Amorim Thermal Production System (TPS).
"Insulating materials for the aerospace industry, commercialized under the brand, TPS (Thermal Protection Systems), play an important role in the successful launch and operation of crewed and uncrewed space vehicles," according to Amorim.
"When a rocket or spacecraft is projected into space, its structure is subjected to such extreme temperatures that it risks being carbonized. The same occurs on the return journey, as soon as the craft enters the Earth's atmosphere. TPS materials are pioneers in providing thermal protection shields, thanks to a unique cork compound, which has withstood many decades of space travel."
António Rios de Amorim, the CEO of Corticeira Amorim, welcomed NASA's choice, which he said indicates the "reliability of Portuguese cork", according to Expresso.
The Rios de Amorim family is ranked 25th in the top 25 of Forbes Portugal 2025 list, with a fortune estimated at about 612 million euros, according to Forbes Portugal (February 4). The family's main asset is Corticeira Amorim. The company has a direct presence in 30 countries and has more than 4,400 employees, according to Sábado: Negócios em Portugal (2021). Its headquarters are located at Mozelos, Santa Maria da Feira, in Aveiro District.
World leader in Cork Processing
Corticeira Amorim is the world's leader in cork processing, according to Amorim.
The company's story began in Portugal at Rua dos Marinheiros, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District, in 1870, according to Amorim Cork: South Africa. Inspired by the wine cellars that lined the street, António Alves de Amorim founded the rudimentary business for the manual production of cork stoppers.
His vision was to supply his top-quality cork stoppers to close and protect the sought-after bottles of port, which the great cellars were producing for international markets, wines that were recognized as the pride of Portugal.
"Although primarily associated with the wine sector, today Corticeira Amorim offers a much wider range of products, solutions and applications," reported Sábado: Negócios em Portugal. "Through its coatings, composite agglomerates and insulation units, it has the capacity to meet the needs of some of the world's most technological, disruptive and demanding activities, namely the aerospace, automotive, architecture, sports, energy and design industries.
"This strong commitment to RD&I (Research, Development and Innovation), which makes cork the material of the future, is admittedly a strategic priority for the company."
Before the corks could be made, the raw material had to travel more than 350 kilometers (217 miles) from the cork forests in the south to Vila Nova de Gaia in the north by rail and oxen-drawn carts, according to Joaquim Sá, MD: Amorim Cork South Africa, a key distribution subsidiary of the Portuguese-based Corticeira Amorim. (Photo by @Amorim)
From Wine to Space
Artemis II lifts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1 (Photo by John Kraus/NASA)
Since the Scout rockets in the 1960s, U.S. launch vehicles designed to place small satellites into orbit around the Earth, Corticeira Amorim has supplied cork products to the aerospace industry, according to Cortim.
At some point in their programs, the company also supplied the Space Shuttle (1981-2011), NASA's partially reusable low-Earth orbital spacecraft system; Falcon (2012), manufactured by SpaceX; Delta, Virgin Galactic's next generation suborbital space plane designed for space tourism and scheduled for service in late 2026; Ariane (1973 - ), the European Space Agency's launchers, and Vega (1998 - ), the European Space Agency's small rocket program.
A Space Travel Tip
"Cork. Don't leave Earth without it," said an engineer and former NASA astronaut Donald Thomas, who has a doctorate in Materials Science from Cornell University.
Amorim cork-based composites are integrated into the solid rocket boosters, rocket engines, cryogenic tanks and payload fairings, ensuring resistance to extreme temperatures, vibration and mechanical loads during launch flight and re-entry.
(Photo from Amorim)
In solid rocket boosters, Amorim cork compounds are applied to the nose cone, frustrum (air stream), forward and aft skirts, external tank ring covers, field joints and tunnel covers. (Photo from Amorim)
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