The core structure of the MAVEN spacecraft under construction at Lockheed Martin in Denver. Image Credit: NASA, Lockheed Martin
TenCate Advanced Composites, as a key supplier of advanced composite materials to Lockheed Martin, is proud to be supporting NASA on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter that was successfully launched this week. The MAVEN orbiter will analyze the upper atmosphere of Mars, which will help scientists examine how the climate of Mars has changed over time due to the loss of atmospheric gases.
TenCate has supported NASA and Lockheed Martin on prior Mars missions, including the Rover and Curiosity exploration vehicles. For the MAVEN orbiter TenCate Advanced Composites provided a highly stable, engineered carbon fiber-reinforced composite material that was used to fabricate the primary bus structure of the orbiter. This primary structure is cube shaped and was built by Lockheed Martin in Denver, USA, with high modulus composite face sheets sandwiched between aluminum honeycomb sheets. The entire primary structure is only 275 pounds, yet can withstand the launch forces of 6 g's, which imparts loads of up to 61,000 lbs on the launch vehicle's interface.
TenCate Advanced Composites is a leader in the supply of advanced composites for space, satellite, military and commercial aerospace applications.
About TenCate Advanced Composites
TenCate Advanced Composites is a leader in the development and production of thermoplastic and thermoset prepreg composites for various industries. Its product portfolio is incorporated into automotive products, medical equipment and numerous other applications. TenCate Advanced Composites has production facilities and operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
About Royal Ten Cate
Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company that combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. TenCate products are sold worldwide.
Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, infrastructure & the environment, and sport & recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, anti-ballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on the NYSE Euronext (AMX).