Advanced Material Development said it has signed a contract to collaborate with NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) on ensuring the Europa Clipper spacecraft's radar can operate on its mission to investigate whether one Jupiter's moons could have conditions suitable for life.
AMD, which specialises in cutting-edge materials science, said the contract covers work using its proprietary thin-film coatings technology, a radio-frequency absorbing nanomaterial.
JPL, a research and development laboratory federally funded by NASA and managed by the California Institute of Technology, will collaborate with the UK company as part of the Europa Clipper spacecraft electromagnetic compatibility test campaign.
The work with AMD could help confirm whether the spacecraft’s sensitive ice-penetrating radar will operate properly at key frequencies so as to meet the mission's science objectives.
The overarching goal of the Clipper mission is to investigate whether there are conditions suitable for life below the surface of Jupiter's Europa – one of the four largest moons of the 80 orbiting the fifth planet from the sun.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft will perform more than 40 close flybys of the moon to gather detailed measurements from various instruments, including radar.
“Working with JPL, NASA’s globally recognised ‘space-frontier’ technology lab, is not just testament to AMD’s capability and its future, but verification that AMD’s nanomaterial science continues to provide solutions for major challenges," said Richard Lee, AMD’s chief operating officer.
“This contract is a huge milestone in AMD’s evolution but more so, it is a huge honour to be involved in the challenges of space exploration.”
The Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s and spend several years travelling to Jupiter.
At launch, the craft will weigh approximately 6,000kg, about 65% of which will be fuel, with solar panels spanning about 30 meters when fully unfolded.
It will fly out to Mars and then spin back to Earth, using orbital momentum on each of these "gravity assists" to gather the required velocity needed to reach Jupiter.
Once it does, it will spend roughly one year preparing its trajectory for three years of flybys, gathering data to send back to Earth.