Bally Ribbon’s Thermal Protection System featured

Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) highlighted its Woven Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for space, missile and hypersonic system insulation at the National Space & Missile Materials Symposium. This is a U.S.-citizens-only conference, held recently in Henderson, Nevada.                                           

BRM’s innovative TPS provides insulation and protection to a number of NASA programs. The Orion spacecraft has been equipped with the company’s woven composite compression pads specifically designed to provide insulation and structural support. Developed as part of NASA’s Heat Shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project, and funded by NASA’s Game Changing Development Program, this tailorable woven TPS material was engineered to reduce entry loads and significantly reduce heat shield mass by 30–40 percent for extreme entry environment missions. 

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) recently recognized BRM’s design with the Space Technology Award. BRM designs and manufactures high-performance lightweight multidimensional woven joints, and advanced polar/spiral woven structures for a variety of aerospace and defense applications. These components can be woven with a variety of high-strength and high-performance fibers. 

The company also offers high-performance webbing for a range of applications. Its woven webbing was used as a structural member on the landing system for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and can be found in the International Space Station.