Monolithic Highly Porous Aluminum Deployable Micrometeoroid Impact Shields

McMurchie Engineering, LLC proposes to investigate the performance of additively manufactured very high porosity aluminum as a monolithic shielding material, to be printed as panels and deployed around the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) in a quasi-cylindrical form. These panels will be structurally sound to the point of being able to support not only their own mass, but also other key systems like thermal insulation. The panel design is itself an excellent insulator and is easily adaptable to match the range of micrometeoroid sizes and fluxes expected at Earth-Sun L2. Over the course of this Phase I SBIR we will print several varieties of this highly porous aluminum shielding material and directly compare its impact shielding performance to conventional Whipple shields using a light gas gun shooting 2mm diameter projectiles at velocities up to 6km/s.

McMurchie Engineering’s proposed shield system will directly address the SBIR Z-EXPAND.05 topic requirement to provide an “...innovative, lightweight risk mitigation solution to prevent micrometeoroid damage to optical components in the next generation large telescope without causing a cascading effect on optical performance from shield damage.” Our proposed Phase I scope of work will focus on the design and experimental validation of micrometeoroid shield panels that can be used in a deployable system to protect a large telescope without reducing optical performance. Key design criteria for our shield panels will be overall impact performance, debris capture on the backside of the panels, and mass reduction while ensuring structural integrity. Hypervelocity impacts are commonly found in the area of defense, primarily from shaped charge warheads, which are effectively countered with reactive armor. The emerging potential for conflict in space, however—particularly from anti-satellite weapons and conflict-caused orbital debris—provides a potentially massive need for deployable or directable hypervelocity impact shields for the United States Space Force and for other critical space infrastructure. The Space Force currently has a similar total budget to NASA of around $25B, but this may grow precipitously as geopolitics become more contentious and space becomes a potential battleground. Furthermore, as LEO becomes more and more crowded with massive satellite constellations, the risk of satellite-satellite impacts is ever growing, along with the risk of massive increases in the total quantity of orbital debris. As time goes on, the need for commercial spacecraft to provide deployable, directable, mass-efficient impact shielding will only grow. In 2023, the commercial space economy was $570B, and is continuing to grow rapidly.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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