Groundbreaking Tech Enables Multiple Frequent Re-Entries

Sierra Space, an offshoot of Sierra Nevada Corporation, announced that, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, it has developed a groundbreaking new technology for thermal protection tiles for spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

This development enables the manufacture of much-improved exterior spacecraft tiles that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entry over multiple and frequent missions. The new Thermal Protection System (TPS) is designed to meet the needs of the burgeoning commercial space industry that is moving at a much faster pace than previous generations of spaceflight that now requires more missions over shorter time intervals.

The higher frequency of flights for any particular vehicle now requires a more durable TPS.

Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space said, “Today marks a new era of spaceflight safety technology, and it’s going to enable travel to Low Earth Orbit that will eventually rival the frequency of commercial air travel. Our patent-pending Thermal Protection System is like nothing ever before created and essential to a near future where space travel becomes routine. Reusability of space vehicles is a key factor in expanding the commercial space industry and to do that we need new technology to keep spacecraft and crew safe.”

The new tiles are made of a proprietary composite material that’s as strong as carbon fiber but with high-temperature stability of ceramic. The composite tiles have a low-density thermal protection properties vital to insulation and stable flight dynamics

FMI:  www.sierraspace.com/