Ugo Lafont

Ugo Lafont is a senior materials scientist and innovation strategist at the European Space Agency (ESA), based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in The Netherlands. He provides expertise in the development and evaluation of advanced non-metallic materials and processes for space applications. His work focuses on space-environment effects on materials, smart and multifunctional polymers, composites, and emerging technologies such as self-healing systems, graphene, and additive manufacturing.

He holds a PhD in Physics and Chemistry of Condensed Matter from the University of Montpellier (France). After joining TU Delft in 2004, he conducted applied research on nanomaterials for energy storage and catalysis, and later worked on next-generation composite structures, including thermoplastic matrices and self-healing capabilities for aviation and space systems.

Since 2013 at ESA, he has led activities ranging from qualification of new composite materials to the implementation of on-orbit manufacturing processes, and contributes to ESA’s roadmap on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and future space infrastructure development, including polymers and 3D printing under microgravity. He is also active in the wider community as a council member of the European Society for Composite Materials (ESCM) and Associate Editor of the CEAS Space Journal.