Low Cost, Precision Composite Mirrors for Exoatmospheric Interceptor Seekers

"Subsystem costs need to be reduced to make the GMD EKV more affordable. The seeker mirrors are fabricated from beryllium, coated, precision machined, and plated to achieve the required prescription. While the cost of coating and alignment represents thelargest part of the total seeker cost, substantial savings can be achieved by changing from beryllium to a carbon fiber reinforced composite for the mirror substructure. Recent developments in composite mirror technology now make this a distinctpossibility. The first step proposed is to provide a drop in composite replacement for the beryllium mirror that meets all of the fit and function requirements and has the same dimensions and tolerances as the beryllium baseline. The Phase I program willdevelopment the composite mirror substructure design, will model and analytically verify the dimensional stability and stiffness of the composite substructure, and will evaluate candidate coatings to ensure the potential to achieve the same opticalprescription as for the beryllium baseline. The project will culminate with a recommended mirror concept with a supporting manufacturing plan and cost estimate that can be compared with the beryllium baseline mirror. Replacing the beryllium with compositematerials is projected to reduce EKV mirror substructure manufacturing costs by a factor of 5 to 10 times. If the Phase I program, which will focus on mirrors is successful, then Phase II will d