Ultra-Flexible Advanced Stiffness Truss for Large Solar Arrays

L.Garde's deployable solar array will offer a novel strategy to package and deploy a solar array, demonstrate scalability, and meet NASA's requirements and desired size goals in the next 20 years. The U-FAST program goal is to design, develop and test an advanced lightweight truss design suitable to support large space-based solar arrays. Thus, our primary customer will be NASA or its prime aerospace contractors: Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, Ball Aerospace, ATK, etc. Although the number of truss structures that might be purchased from LGarde is not large, there are numerous space applications that could broaden this market. In addition to providing a deployable support structure for large solar arrays to power space electric propulsion, other applications exist. These include support structures for large-area solar sails to provide propulsion for deep space missions, such as space weather advanced warning, orbital debris removal at GEO, and deep space exploration. Another application for large space structures is in the design of sunshades for large space telescopes such as JWST. Space-based microwave radar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are mission areas of great interest to NASA, NOAA and organizations within the Defense Department (USAF, DARPA, NRO, Navy). LGarde anticipates strong interest in this technology from the aerospace community upon the successful completion of the NASA Phase II program.

The market is wide open for novel and robust large area solar arrays. Potential customers for the proposed product include space government agencies such as NASA, European Space Agency, JAXA, as well as various private space companies such as Space X, Orbital Sciences Corp., Bigelow Aerospace, etc. Applications include crew and cargo transport, probes and satellites, research crafts, and space mining. L'Garde's approach and strategy to commercialize this technology includes initial partnering with NASA and other Department of Defense agencies through other SBIR/STTR or BAA programs. In addition, L'Garde Inc. will build corporate and industrial partnerships. We have already initiated a partnership with Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a commercial provider in leading-edge CIGS photovoltaic technology, and they have stated that they would offer assistance in the form of consultation for the Phase II work. Communication between LGarde, Inc. and governmental/industrial partners will be ongoing throughout in order to understand the current and future needs, and hence have the information needed to keep the technology up to date and make it cost-effective and hence attractive to the user community. Our president and senior management possess significant marketing experience and business acumen. More »