• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • NEWS:
  • SatNews
  • SatMagazine
  • MilSatMagazine
  • SmallSat News
  • |     EVENTS:
  • SmallSat Symposium
  • Satellite Innovation
  • MilSat Symposium

SatNews

  • HOME
  • Magazines
  • Events
  • SmallSat Europe Insights
  • Industry Calendar
    • IN PERSON
    • VIRTUAL
  • Subscribe

Opterus’ NASA Contract Will Develop Large Retractable Blanket Solar Array

October 1, 2020

Opterus Research and Development, Inc. has been awarded by NASA a groundbreaking project that will pave the way for very large lunar surface solar arrays.

The six-month contract, which was awarded through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, will begin development of a patent pending large-diameter Collapsible Tubular Mast (CTM). The mast will use High Strain Composite (HSC) materials that reduce mechanical system part count by an order of magnitude. The CTM Opterus is developing will handle much greater buckling, torsional, and bending loads than any existing HSC deployable mast developed to date.

Technologies developed in the program will also serve as pathfinders for NASA’s ambitious Moon to Mars program, which puts a premium on the need for reliable, reusable, retractable equipment that can be packaged and deployed multiple times.

Dr. Thomas W. Murphey
President/CEO

“This approach is a fundamental shift away from open cross section HSC slit-tubes typically considered for use in large array applications,” said Thomas Murphey, CEO of Opterus. “We’re building a collapsible mast that meets stiffness and strength requirements of heritage articulate trusses at a fraction of the cost. It will support blanket arrays in space as large as several hundred meters across. What we’re doing will blow away the prevailing perceptions of HSC strength and performance.”

This new Phase I program is to be completed by March of 2021, and it leverages two additional Phase II SBIR programs Opterus has with NASA for blanket and deployment mechanism development.

“This combination of SBIR programs supports our long-term vision to productize and deliver R-ROMA™, a high performance Retractable-Rollable Mast Array,” Murphey said. “This is exactly what NASA’s SBIR/STTR program seeks to achieve with small businesses such as Opterus.”   

Filed Under: Contracts

Primary Sidebar

Most Read Stories

  • Space Debris, and the EU’s Space Act
  • In celebration of Juneteenth
  • Wishing Everyone a Happy July 4th … Independence Day, U.S.A.
  • Eutelsat's efforts to obtain funding to save OneWeb
  • Forrester's Digest: Starlink active in Iran

About Satnews

  • Contacts
  • History

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020

Secondary Sidebar

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy
x
Sign up Now (For Free)
Access daily or weekly satellite news updates covering all aspects of the commercial and military satellite industry.
Invalid email address
Notify Me Regarding ( At least one ):
We value your privacy and will not sell or share your email or other information with any other company. You may also unsubscribe at anytime.

Click Here to see our full privacy policy.
Thanks for subscribing!