Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new type of NAND flash memory that is significantly more resistant to radiation, making it suitable for use in deep space missions. The technology, called ferroelectric NAND flash, stores data using material polarization rather than trapped electrical charge, which is vulnerable to radiation damage.
According to the study, the new memory can withstand up to 1 million rads of radiation, which is approximately 30 times more than standard NAND flash memory. This level of radiation tolerance is critical for spacecraft and satellites operating in high-radiation environments beyond Earth's protective magnetosphere.
The research was led by Professor Asif Khan and his team at Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The findings were published in the journal Nature Electronics on May 18, 2026. The team demonstrated that the ferroelectric material, hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO), retains its polarization state even after exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation.
This advancement could enable more reliable data storage for long-duration space missions, such as those to Mars or the outer planets, where radiation levels are much higher than in low Earth orbit. The technology also has potential applications in nuclear power plants and medical devices that require radiation-hardened electronics.
The Georgia Tech team is now working on scaling the technology for commercial production and plans to test the memory in a space environment within the next two years.
