DUNMORE materials protecting future ISS-bound cargo on Orbital Sciences’ Antares/Cygnus test mission
DUNMORE Corporation multi-layer insulation (MLI) materials protected the launch vehicle and its cargo delivery system Wednesday as a successful launch of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program (COTS) test mission was conducted from Orbital Sciences’ Wallops Island launch facility.
DUNMORE MLI material is incorporated into the cargo compartment and control module of the Cygnus spacecraft that the Antares rocket launched into orbit as part of this first test mission for Orbital’s ISS cargo resupply contract with NASA. DUNMORE materials both under the vehicle’s outer skin and exposed on its surface provide thermal control that protects the vehicles and payload in the cargo compartment from excessive heat and radiation in space.
“Providing MLI material to Orbital Sciences gives DUNMORE a presence in both of the U.S.-based commercial supply missions to the International Space Station,” said Dan Sullivan, DUNMORE Sales Director. As more private companies enter the space travel market, the experience we’ve gained from producing spacecraft materials over the past 30 years will help meet demand for new materials to support a broader range of missions and vehicles.”
DUNMORE is a key supplier of high-performance films for aerospace and an important partner for NASA and its commercial subcontractors. DUNMORE’s high-performance, thin-film-based MLI materials protect spacecraft while contributing less to a spacecraft’s weight than options like metal sheeting and composite panels. DUNMORE materials are at work on the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station (ISS) and NASA’s science missions. DUNMORE is also supplying MLI materials to the Mars Science Laboratory – Curiosity.
The Orbital Sciences test mission consists of the Antares rocket and the Cygnus spacecraft. Antares is a two-stage launch vehicle designed to provide low cost and reliable access to space for payloads weighing up to 6120 kg. Cygnus is an advanced maneuvering spacecraft developed by Orbital to deliver cargo under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Space Act Agreement.
About DUNMORE
DUNMORE Corporation is a global supplier of engineered coated and laminated films. DUNMORE offers film conversion services such as coating, metallizing and laminating along with contract film manufacturing. DUNMORE produces coated film, metallized film and laminating film substrates for the aerospace, photovoltaic, graphic arts, packaging, insulation, surfacing and fashion industries. DUNMORE is privately held, ISO 9001:2008 and OSHA VPP Star certified. For complete information on DUNMORE’s products, services and industries served, please visit DUNMORE’s website http://www.dunmore.com/.
