A New Kind of Heat Shield
United Space Alliance gained extensive experience manufacturing, installating and repairing heat shield products used in the U.S. human space flight program. Today, we apply that expertise to develop new thermal protection systems for emerging spacecraft designs. Our experience and innovative use of materials give us unique capabilities in creating safe, reliable and efficient protection systems for new vehicles. Examples of new heat shield designs include the following:

Dual Layer Heat Shield System
United Space Alliance has developed an innovative dual- layer heat shield system with lower mass and cost that promises superior operability and manufacturability compared to other common heat shield systems. By leveraging heritage materials, historical technical work and modern manufacturing techniques, this high performance technology has performed well in thermal and mechanical tests and offers a readily available option for all types of re-entry vehicles.

Thermal Blanket Innovation
United Space Alliance developed a hybrid insulation blanket for NASA's Ares program that can withstand large heatfluxes, high temperatures and high mechanical loads. This design integrates flexible insulation with Kevlar structural fabrics. It can potentially be used in several aerospace applications require durable thermal shielding in areas of high dynamic loads, including inflatable decelerators.

Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-Pod) Thermal Insulation
Cal Poly's Picosatellite Deployer travels into orbit on unmanned launch vehicles where it can deploy up to three miniaturized satellites (CubeSats). The deployment mechanism is temperature- sensitive, and in certain configurations, must be insulated against radiative and convective plume heating to avoid early deployment. United Space Alliance designed and fabricated a lightweight thermal shield to reduce the heating effect. The shield consists of a blend of Nextel, Quartz and Q-felt. It is refractory enough to withstand 1800° Fahrenheit, tolerant of 85 g's, weighs less than 200 grams and is capable of articulation.