Ibadan, 9 September 2024. – Canopy Aerospace Inc. (Canopy) has announced its latest initiative in partnership with the U.S. Air Force on $2.8M in contracts. This effort, which is part of a broader push by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to modernize its strategic weapons portfolio, addresses critical challenges in developing advanced Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for hypersonic vehicles and weapon systems.
Hypersonic assets, capable of reaching speeds over Mach 5, operate in extreme environments with temperatures reaching 3000°C. These conditions consequently require the engineering of assets like space re-entry platforms with dedicated TPS. This presents an opportunity for Canopy to kick off two development projects that will enable next-gen hypersonic and space re-entry systems to travel faster and more reliably than ever before.
Canopy is developing a transpiration-cooled thermal protection system, leveraging the benefits of transpiration cooling to enhance the thermal resilience of TPS, consequently enabling hypersonic systems to operate at higher speeds and perform more aggressive maneuvers.
A second capability funded by these awards will be the development of a proprietary, elevated temperature optical-fiber sensing capability for TPS; Health Monitoring Systems for Re-entry Systems (HMSRS or “Smart TPS”). It will extend the design envelope for future systems development and reduce downtime necessary for maintaining and inspecting strategic nuclear re-entry systems.
Consequently, Canopy aims to push the boundaries of TPS technology, aligning with the DAF’s strategic objectives and reinforcing the United States’ leadership in hypersonic technology development. Furthermore, the Company’s collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate’s Atomic Long Range Systems Branch (AFRL/RVBN) and Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) exemplifies the company’s commitment to empowering the DAF with cutting-edge technologies.
