| Company |
Vanguard Composites Group, Inc. (San Diego, CA) |
| Technology |
Lightweight, Manufacturable Hybrid Composite Sunshade |
| Description |
Vanguard Composites has developed a metal-lined, high-modulus fiber and low-moisture uptake prepreg composite replacement that has demonstrated equivalent stiffness to beryllium with comparable weight, but at a projected savings of 75 percent in cost and eight months in manufacturing schedule. The sunshade was redesigned to make use of a stiffer construction method that employs identical interfaces of the current baseline design. The multifunctional composite structures approach meets the same requirements as the baseline while providing a legacy path for increasingly stringent structural, permeability, and outgassing requirements as well as the potential for electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic pulse hardening. |
| MDA Use |
The optical sensors sunshade is specifically designed for use on the telescope for the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). Vanguard's technology is directly applicable to the configuration supporting future telescope upgrades. |
| Insertion Opportunity |
Vanguard has delivered prototypes to Raytheon Missile Systems for structural, optical, and outgassing qualification testing. Successful qualification testing results will provide a strong basis for future EKV system insertion, possibly as soon as the Block 08 upgrade. |
