Health Monitoring Systems for Re-entry Systems (HMSRS)

February 1, 2003 – the Columbia Space Shuttle, traveling 18x faster than the speed of sound, was heading back to Earth. Upon re-entry, the space shuttle reached temperatures of up to 2691 °F, and a critical failure of its Thermal Protection System (TPS) caused white-hot plasma to penetrate the shuttle, claiming the lives of the seven astronauts on board—a tragedy that could have been avoided. May 22, 2024 – the Space Shuttle has not flown since 2011, and the supply base for critical capabilities in the United States like thermal protection systems has dried up. This results not only in difficulty for the DOD to procure TPS, but a general lack of applied innovation normally spurred by commercial activity. Despite these supply chain constraints, the need for TPS within the defense industrial base and emerging commercial space economy has skyrocketed due to recent technological advances and the pacing threat of advanced nations like China. Hypersonic systems, strategic re-entry systems, and next-gen propulsion systems all require leap-ahead advancements in TPS technologies to successfully deter threats. A DAF requirement, validated by recent funding of similar sensor-embedded TPS proposals, for TPS is the integration of high-temperature capable health sensors. These monitoring systems enable real-time monitoring both during flight, ground testing, and during long-term storage.  For manned flights, this sensing capability can be the difference between mission success and catastrophic failure; thus necessary to ensure safety of Airmen and Guardians along with high-value payloads. Our understanding of TPS materials across their lifecycle will prove critical as space and hypersonic systems become commonplace over the next 5-10 years. Canopy’s integrated fiber optic sensors can detect mechanical loading of the vehicle in real time with much high-fidelity and across a broader range of temperatures, displacing the need for traditional wired sensors. Canopy will execute a 21-month Phase II effort to design, build, and qualify a flight-ready Smart TPS prototype based on fiber Bragg grating sensors for high-temperature strain measurements. The project will culminate with simulated flight testing of the prototype in partnership with NASA Langley Research Center, demonstrating critical functionality during exposure to high aerothermal loading. The Phase II results will prove out key hypotheses related to both improved aerothermal modeling and more effective predictive maintenance, increasing performance, fuel efficiency, and overall increased safety of flight for future vehicles. Afterward, Canopy’s strain-sensing Smart TPS technology will be ready for initial flight testing in late 2026.