Neel Mehta
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has awarded a subcontract to Quest Thermal Group LLC to develop thermal insulation technology for maintaining temperatures of spacecraft and subsystems during NASA human spaceflight missions.
NASA intends to use Quest Thermal’s integrated multi-layer insulation for the Green Propellant Infusion Mission and Ball Aerospace will test the technology, Ball Aerospace announced Tuesday.
The Quest Thermal-built IMIL will be integrated into a Ball Aerospace aircraft for the GPIM mission scheduled in 2015.
“Utilizing a small business to innovate a new product and adding it to the GPIM mission demonstrates the synergy between all of the space technology project offices to develop and infuse technology into the market,” said Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager of Ball Aerospace’s civil space and technology business.
Quest Thermal will build the insulation product by using spacers instead of netting to separate radiation layers.
Ball Aerospace is also working with Aerojet Rocketdyne, the Edwards Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and NASA’s Glenn Research Center on the GPIM program.
