High Temperature Composite Rocket Motor Cases for Missile Defense

Next generation missile defense interceptors will achieve hypersonic velocities during flight to reach offensive missile targets sufficiently early to minimize threat capability. Achieving the peak velocity with current rocket motor technology (i.e., graphite reinforced epoxy case materials) is proving a challenge for the system level contractors. Meeting the booster performance goals with innovative materials technologies is a much lower system level cost approach than by increasing the booster diameter or length. The approach for this SBIR proposal is to target the missile components that have a significant weight impact due to the large surface area, specifically the first and second stage rocket motor cases. Higher temperature rocket motor cases resins have been identified as a technology that is capable of delivering the improved performance that next generation interceptors demand. Optimizing the thermal performance of the case with resins with higher temperature capability than epoxy materials affords the designer the ability to reduce the TPS volume. The volume and mass saved by the higher operating temperature case can be filled with propellant to achieve increased burn-out velocities or quicker time to target.