Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Compact Telescoping Array Design and Development
Project Description
NASA has significant interest in developing solar electric propulsion technology (SEP) and has identified SEP as enabling for many of NASA's near-term and long-term missions, including the asteroid redirect mission (ARM). Large, scalable solar arrays are critical to enabling SEP missions, and could also serve many other sub-sections of the civil, commercial, and defense space markets. A recently published paper by NIA and NASA shows the Compact Telescoping Array (CTA) concept, which possesses the potential for 60 kW/m3 at 1 MW of power with an elegantly simple design concept derived in part from the international space station (ISS) solar array. The potential performance of CTA, including packing density, scalability and structural efficiency, is excellent. This array technology appears to be an excellent path forward for many current mission needs. Since the vast majority of CTA's subsystems can be implemented with elements that possess significant flight heritage, it is expected that significant progress can be made under SBIR funding to prepare CTA for infusion in the market. The proposed work advances the conceptual work begun by Mikulas, Pappa, Warren and Rose. Angstrom Designs, partnered with ATK space, proposes to explore combining flight-heritage sub-systems to progress the CTA concept, increase the TRL of the overall design, and establish the path for successful commercial infusion.
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Anticipated Benefits
The path to commercialization is straightforward, via our commercialization partner ATK. ATK has significant interest in commercializing CTA technology and post-Phase II commercialization would be in the form of sales directly from ATK. The most direct commercialization would come in the form of a demo-wing for a NASA SEP mission such as ARM/ARRM or an earlier demonstration on ISS, where it could also function to provide supplemental power. NASA's interest in large arrays and SEP will not end with ARM, so larger, more powerful, follow-on missions will in interested in the capabilities of CTA, including manned and unmanned missions to Mars.
The entire space community is interested in high performance solar arrays. CTA offers great promise for mass efficiency, compact stowage, scalability to high power, and variability to fit different spacecraft busses and fairings. Benefits over the current state of practice will be most significant for large wings, so early commercialization efforts will focus on the needs of larger satellites in higher orbits, such as MEO-orbit GPS satellites and GEO-orbit communications satellites. These applications are equally relevant for non-NASA customers such as Air Force and private, commercial prime contractors. More »
The entire space community is interested in high performance solar arrays. CTA offers great promise for mass efficiency, compact stowage, scalability to high power, and variability to fit different spacecraft busses and fairings. Benefits over the current state of practice will be most significant for large wings, so early commercialization efforts will focus on the needs of larger satellites in higher orbits, such as MEO-orbit GPS satellites and GEO-orbit communications satellites. These applications are equally relevant for non-NASA customers such as Air Force and private, commercial prime contractors. More »
Project Library
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angstrom Designs, Inc. | Lead Organization | Industry | Santa Barbara, California |
Langley Research Center
(LaRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Hampton, Virginia |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Virginia
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