SBIR-STTR Award

The Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program has been developed to meet the space-related urgent needs of the warfighter in a timely manner. The ORS vision seeks to enable on-orbit mission capability via small satellites in less than 6 days from initial call-up in the field. The thermal control systems (TCS) on these satellites currently pose an obstacle to meeting this target. The TCS for each satellite mission, involving design, analysis, test and optimization, must be complete in 4 hours, in comparison to the current 3 – 6 months timeframe, thus significant improvements in current thermal management capabilities are required. Thermal insulation blankets are one of the critical elements of the TCS that must be addressed to meet ORS’s aggressive vision. Aspen Aerogels, Inc. is proposing to design and implement a transportable rapid fabrication packaging system for aerogel thermal insulation that could meet a 4 hour TCS development window for ORS missions. The Phase I work plan includes the design of a transportable packaging system and selection of a portable cutting system that will become an essential part of the packaging system to produce fabricated aerogel thermal blankets which could be deployed to ORS integration and test sites around the globe.

Benefit:
Anticipated Benefits This proposal addresses maturation and integration of various unit operations required for design, fabrication, and installation of encapsulated aerogel space thermal blankets relevant to ORS mission requirements. The program tasks are intended to help transition aerogel thermal insulation technology into a refined, integrated and portable capability that can be implemented at integration and test sites around the globe in a rapid timeframe after mission call up from the field. Potential Commercial Applications Potential commercial applications include those requiring thermal insulation in a vacuum where convection and conduction are not important and radiation dominates. Space applications include NASA, civil and commercial sectors such as missile tracking, surveillance, astronomy, mapping, weather monitoring, etc. Non-space example applications include superconducting cables, cryogenic gas transportation, storage and transfer; space suits, shipping containers, and home appliances.

Keywords:
Multi-Layer Insulation, Mli, Flexible Aerogel, Thermal Management, Insulation

The Department of Defense is actively pursuing the capability to assemble and launch a satellite within days, or even hours, of a battlefield commander’s notification for anticipated needs and within several months to no more than a year for unanticipated needs. The thermal control systems (TCS) on these satellites currently pose an obstacle to meeting this target. Thermal insulation blankets are critical to an Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) satellite’s on-orbit performance; yet, due to their fabrication leadtimes and delicacy in installation, they are also one of the critical elements of the TCS that must be addressed to meet ORS’s aggressive vision. Aspen Aerogels is proposing to finalize the design and demonstrate functionality of a rapid fabrication facility for aerogel thermal insulation that could provide the required on-orbit performance with reliable and robust thermal blankets that can meet the fabrication, assembly, integration and test window required for ORS missions. In parallel to this effort, the process for preparing the aerogel thermal insulation will be optimized to reduce time and cost. The end result will be a usable capability to fabricate and install high performance aerogel thermal blankets which could be deployed to ORS integration and test sites around the globe.

Benefit:
Anticipated Benefits This proposal addresses maturation and integration of various operations required for the design, fabrication, and installation of encapsulated aerogel space thermal blankets to ensure that these critical blanket assemblies meet ORS mission timeline requirements. The program tasks are intended to help transition aerogel thermal insulation technology into a refined, integrated capability that can be reliably implemented in a rapid timeframe after mission call up from the field. Potential Commercial Applications Potential commercial applications include those requiring thermal insulation in a vacuum where convection and conduction are not important and radiation dominates. Space applications include NASA, civil and commercial sectors such as missile tracking, surveillance, astronomy, mapping, and weather monitoring. Non-space example applications include superconducting cables, cryogenic gas transportation, storage and transfer; space suits, shipping containers, and home appliances.

Keywords:
Mli, Flexible Aerogel, Thermal Management, Insulation, Spacecraft, Satellite