Matthew Nelson
A Spirit AeroSystems subsidiary has landed a potential five-year, $24 million contract to deliver thermal protection systems that will support upcoming NASA deep space exploration missions.
FMI will provide NASA with 3MDCP and PICA TPS materials in support of the Dragonfly and Mars Sample Return missions, Spirit AeroSystems said Wednesday.
The programs will utilize the TPS materials to conduct flight and ground testing activities.
Taylor Franklin, a project engineer at FMI, said the company developed capabilities to support the manufacturing of TPS materials for NASA missions for 18 months.
Spirit AeroSystems noted NASA used PICA for several missions such as OSIRIS REx, Mars Science Lab and Stardust.
The Dragonfly mission will involve the deployment of a robotic rotorcraft at Saturn's Titan moon to explore its habitability and chemistry while the MSR program aims to collect and retrieve samples from Mars.
