Lightweight Mirrors for Microsatellites and Small Satellites

The goal of this topic is to produce low density and high stiffness space mirrors. 3DFlexible has developed a new additive manufacturing process which incorporates fabricating parts via layer-by-layer printing using glass bubble paste (GBP) and sintering the parts into cellular solids. Cellular solids are structures that are composed of a network of solid struts forming the edges and faces of cells. This enables the fabrication of non-traditional shapes with complex internal geometries and high mass saving potential. For this project, we will use GBP to manufacture a solid structured monolithic substrate for the final mirror. With an identical material lamination process, we can fabricate various shaped light weight substrates with strong bending stiffness. This new manufacturing process is a novel way to reduce mirror mass to values that are not achievable by conventional fabrication techniques.