Composites design helps nano-sized lunar rover hit big milestones
Developed by Carnegie Mellon University, the ultralight, composites-intensive Iris nano-rover will make its lunar debut later this year.
Hannah Mason
Associate Editor, CompositesWorld
AnalySwift and University of Central Florida work with NASA to develop thin-ply composites
Materials will be characterized and performance modeled for wide array of aircraft and space applications.
Perseverance rover landing previews touchdown footage
NASA’s Perseverance rover relays a high-resolution still shot of its descent to the surface of Mars. Rover indicates positive health reports.
Perseverance rover takes one step for composites on Mars
The rover’s successful landing on Feb. 18 begins a two-year science investigation of Mars’ Jezero Crater for ancient microbial life.
NASA selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis commercial moon delivery in 2023
Part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander will deliver 10 technology payloads to the moon.
Northrop Grumman completes rocket motor validation test for Vulcan Centaur
The 63-inch-diameter graphite epoxy motor (GEM 63XL) was developed in partnership with United Launch Alliance to provide the rocket with additional lift capability.
Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket reaches space
Air-launched, liquid-fueled rocket makes historical debut with successfully targeted orbit and 10 NASA NSP payloads deployed.
The Alpha launch vehicle: Designing performance in, cost out
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha 2.0 launch vehicle, designed to deliver satellites into low Earth orbit, gets a composites makeover in pursuit of larger payload capacity and more cost-effective performance.
Hannah Mason
Associate Editor, CompositesWorld
Orbex secures $24 million funding round for U.K. space launch
New funding secures roadmap to first launch of composites-intensive Orbex Prime rocket from Sutherland spaceport in Scotland.
Airbus qualifies Europe's first 5-meter deployable reflector for radar satellites
The unfurlable, parabolic, composite reflector offers significant advantages in satellite deployment and marks Airbus’s entry into the market for cost-effective and small radar missions and constellations.
HX5 thermoplastic nanocomposite demonstrates electromagnetic shielding properties
Certified for use from rockets and satellites to amphibious transport vehicles, EMI testing indicates exceptional attenuation when bare or plated for shielding effectiveness.
Environmental testing completed for NASA James Webb telescope
Successful acoustic and sine-vibration testing ensures the composites-intensive space telescope will survive all of the harsh conditions associated with a rocket launch to space.
NASA looks to advance 3D printing construction systems for the Moon and Mars
Off-world construction is taken to a new level with NASA’s MMPACT project, which will test lunar soil simulant with various processing and printing technologies to determine 3D printing feasibility in space.
Airbus concludes Zephyr HAPS flight test campaign
The composites-intensive Zephyr HAPS satellite is a stratospheric unmanned aerial system, which, with this recently successful flight test, is one step closer to providing local satellite-like services.
Composites launch to Mars
NASA’s recently launched Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter are supported by numerous composite materials and structures.
Hannah Mason
Associate Editor, CompositesWorld
Successful integration of PocketQube satellites in 3D-printed composite deployer
The 3D-printed, composites-based AlbaPod v2 satellite deployer and nine integrated PocketQubes for the Alba Cluster 3 mission enable largest PocketQube launch to date.
Firefly Aerospace to automate composite rocket production with Ingersoll AFP machine
The company plans to transition manufacture of its Alpha and Beta all-composite launch vehicles to automated fiber placement starting in 2021.
Episode 34: Carmelo Lo Faro, Solvay Composite Materials
Carmelo Lo Faro, president of Solvay Composite Materials, talks about how he sees aerocomposites evolving in the time of COVID-19, the rise of computational power to evolve composites use, the prospects for increased composites use in the automotive market, and the increasing importance of education in the composites industry.
Firefly Aerospace announces new customer agreements, completed acceptance tests
One step closer to launch, the Alpha launch vehicle passed Stage One acceptance testing. Spire Global and Geometric Space signed on as Alpha customers.
Vega VV16 rocket launches with Bercella composites dispenser structure onboard
The CFRP dispenser structure, developed for the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS), was successfully launched for the European Space Agency.
Hexagon Purus to produce high-performance composite pressure vessels
The subsidary of Hexagon Composites has been awarded a contract to design, develop, qualify and produce for a new major aerospace company.
Seeking inspiration in a virtual environment
In an increasingly digital world, how far can the virtual environment take us? Only so far, Dale Brosius says. At some point, we have to get real.
Dale Brosius
Contributing Writer, Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI)
U.S. Department of the Air Force-Boeing X-37B team recognized for aerospace excellence
The team received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for advancing the performance, efficiency and safety of air and space vehicles.
HX5 thermoplastic nanocomposite presents an alternative to aluminum for space applications
Alpine Advanced Materials’ HX5 demonstrated retention of 96% mechanical performance with exposure to five million rads of gamma radiation.
NASA announces new James Webb Space Telescope target launch date
The observatory is expected to launch Oct. 31, 2021, a change resulting from technical challenges and the impact of the pandemic.
Developing a linerless, all-composite, spherical cryotank
Infinite Composites Technologies’ Type V pressure vessel for storing cryogenic space launch vehicle propellants shows promise for eliminating elusive microcracking issues.
SpaceShipTwo completes second test flight
The VSS Unity’s second glide test continues collecting system evaluation and vehicle performance data to prepare the aircraft for powered spaceflights.
Boron fiber: The original high-performance fiber
History and future developments for high-performance boron fiber.