In fact, a desired characteristic in one application may be a disadvantage in another. Researchers consider many characteristics and weigh them either as a pro or a con for a given application. It takes ten pounds of resources to get one pound into space and back. Therefore, the lighter the material, the less costly it is to get a structure into space. During each orbit, there are periods of extreme hot and cold which can cause most materials, as the spacecraft moves in and out of the Earth's shadow, to expand and contract, changing their size and shape as the temperature changes.
Some missions run for years, some last only a few weeks.
The lifetime of a material can determine the length of the mission and if not predicted correctly can lead to premature failure. Environmental stability and durability. Components must be durable in the harsh space environment which includes radiation, atomic oxygen and vacuum. A material that is hazardous to the people who are manufacturing it or to the environment can be more expensive to make because of the special requirements to handle and dispose of it. The cost of a material, including production and testing, is a major consideration and can be the determining factor in whether or not it is used.