TCI CrossFilm™ Utilized by NASA LOFTID Project in Mission
NASA handpicked CrossFilm™ material from TCI to assist with 2022 Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test.
On November 10, 2022, two decades of research and development led by NASA’s Langley Research Center for Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology culminated in a groundbreaking mission, dubbed Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID). The aim was ambitious: to achieve a first-of-a-kind orbital re-entry using a unique inflatable aeroshell. If successful, it would become the largest, blunt body atmospheric entry of any kind – and successful it was.
In order to help achieve this goal, NASA handpicked TCI as the provider of its trademark CrossFilm™ material. The material was used as a liner for the inflatable torus elements that formed the inflatable structure shape and aerodynamic load capability. The CrossFilm™ served as a gas barrier for the inflation gas (nitrogen) and maintained the inflation pressure throughout the flight, which would be vital to LOFTID’s success.
TCI’s CrossFilm™ is a 100% PTFE material that is guaranteed to be corrosion-free, contamination-free, and non-flammable. It can be heat-sealed, is unaffected by UV exposure and moisture, resists tearing, and has superior flexing capabilities compared to other PTFE products. Thanks to these properties, CrossFilm™ does not require any compromising reinforcement, and it even has an unlimited shelf life. The material is considered chemically inert and can be used in temperatures ranging from -425°F (-254°C) to 600°F (316°C), depending on thickness.
NASA launched LOFTID as a secondary payload on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and not only successfully achieved orbital re-entry but also recovered its Re-entry Vehicle (RV). Experts from NASA even claim that LOFTID ‘demonstrated an inflatable heat shield, or aeroshell, technology that could one day help land humans on Mars.’
NASA explained: ‘Since NASA’s inception in 1958, the agency has relied on rigid blunt body aeroshells to decelerate payloads during the critical atmospheric entry phase of its missions. An aeroshell provides aerodynamic drag to slow down a spacecraft so it can safely perform descent and landing operations, while shielding it from the extreme environments of entry.’ [1]
During the mission, the LOFTID aeroshell was exposed to an overheating environment ‘representative of many Mars and low Earth orbit HIAD applications,’ and the heat-affected inflatable structure withstood aerodynamic forces that even ‘exceeded those expected at Mars.’ As such, NASA experts say HIAD could revolutionize the way NASA delivers payloads to planetary destinations with atmospheres.
On being a part of the successful LOFTID project, TCI’s CEO, John Tippett, said: "At TCI, we've always believed that advanced materials can make extraordinary achievements possible. We're proud that our fluoropolymer technology contributed to NASA's LOFTID mission, helping demonstrate an inflatable aeroshell capable of supporting the next generation of space exploration."
LOFTID may have been a first-of-a-kind for an inflatable aeroshell, but NASA has already revealed that it will not be the last.
[1] Source: NASA, Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) Fact Sheet, December 2023. NASA LOFTID Fact Sheet (PDF)
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