Technical Fibre Products says that its range of nonwovens have been used on the recently-launched Jason-3 Earth observation satellite.
The company’s fine glass veil was supplied to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and can be found in the high temperature insulation patch on the satellite’s advanced microwave radiometer.
TFP’s glass veil is used as the internal separation layers within the insulation patch, an important part of the thermal management of the satellite. Orbital manoeuvres can temporarily align the sun near the axis of the parabolic reflector of the radiometer, and concentrated sunlight then heats small areas of insulation. While conventional insulation cannot withstand this heating, the high temperature insulation patch, containing TFP’s veil, withstands this heating and protects the vulnerable, conventional multi-layer insulation from overheating.
The advanced microwave radiometer is the result of a collaboration between NASA, NOAA, CNES and Eumetsat and represents the latest in a series of satellites dedicated to measuring the global sea surface height. The satellite will make detailed sea-level measurements with a view to gaining greater insight into ocean circulation as well as climate change.
This story uses material from TFP, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
