Simplifying reentry of USSF spacecraft through heatshield additive manufacturing

In previous years as China and Russia boosted investment in their own hypersonic programs, the US backed away from research and development around hypersonics, but now after seeing Russia use them in Ukraine and as we march ever closer to full scale war with China, the US has made it a priority to catch up, unveiling aggressive schedules for development and testing. The traditional manufacturing processes for hypersonics, especially those used for Thermal Protection Systems (TPS), are causing a bottleneck in production and cannot sustain current demands. Thermal Protection Systems need new innovative solutions to combat slowed production and allow the US to catch up and eventually surpass our adversaries in hypersonics. Canopy Aerospace is proposing research and development focused on their additive manufacturing for ablative TPS (AMAT) platform as an alternative method for producing heatshields and ultra-high-temperature composite cores without the need for expensive tooling and specialized labor. The AMAT platform can produce highly customized components and easily scales to larger volumes (>35 ft3) based on the manufacturing hardware that exists today. Canopy will execute a 3-month systematic and intensive feasibility study of Laser Finishing for TPS with AFRLÆs Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (AFRL/RXMS) and Space Vehicle Directorate (AFRL/RVBN) to establish the scope of modifications needed for the Phase II effort to adapt the core technology to fit their missions. The operational impact of this effort is enhancing material performance for composite TPS, delivering scalable customizability, easing labor requirements, and reducing lead times.