MICROCOSM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SCOPRIUS SPACE LAUNCH COMPANY (SSLC), WILL DEVELOP A UNIBODY COMPOSITE P…

Public award description

MICROCOSM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SCOPRIUS SPACE LAUNCH COMPANY (SSLC), WILL DEVELOP A UNIBODY COMPOSITE PRESSURIZED STRUCTURE (UCPS) FOR IN-SPACE PROPULSION THAT CONSTITUTES A CLEAN BREAK FROM TRADITIONAL SPACECRAFT DESIGN BY COMBINING WHAT WERE TRADITIONALLY SEPARATE SPACECRAFT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND METAL PROPELLANT TANKS INTO A SINGLE UNIBODY, ALL-COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION THAT IS STRONGER, MUCH LIGHTER WEIGHT, MORE ROBUST AND RELIABLE, AND CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING MUCH HIGHER PRESSURES AND SMALLER VOLUME THAN PREVIOUS APPROACHES. THE SINGLE, ALL-COMPOSITE STRUCTURE WILL INCLUDE LINERLESS, HIGH-PRESSURE PROPELLANT TANK(S), COMPOSITE BOSSES, FLANGES, LONGITUDINAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL STRINGERS WITH INTEGRAL SHELVES, HOLDING MECHANISMS, AND ATTACH FEATURES TO SUPPORT ALL OF THE SPACECRAFT EQUIPMENT AND REPLACE THE SEPARATE, MISSION-CRITICAL PRIMARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE, TANKS, STRUTS, STRAPS, BRACES, CLAMPS, AND BRACKETS TRADITIONALLY REQUIRED TO HOLD SUBSYSTEM PARTS IN PLACE. THE NEW STRUCTURE HAS NEARLY 0 CTE OVER A TEMPERATURE RANGE FROM CRYOGENIC TO OVER 100 C. PHASE I WILL DETERMINE REQUIREMENTS, CREATE A PRELIMINARY UCPS DESIGN RELEVANT TO A POTENTIAL SMD MISSION, AND TEST MATERIAL COMPATIBILITY WITH VARIOUS IN-SPACE PROPELLANTS. PHASE II WILL BUILD TWO UCPS STRUCTURES EMPLOYING TEST MASSES FOR SPACECRAFT COMPONENTS, AND COMPLETE QUALIFICATION AND BURST TESTING ON ONE OF THEM (INCLUDING 0-G TESTING).