In the predawn of August 30 at Cape Canaveral, NASA launched its Radiation Belt Storm Probes, the first twin-spacecraft mission designed to explore Earth's radiation belts. Protecting the satellites as they plunge through harsh extremes of radiation, temperature and magnetic interference, is multi-layer insulation, made in Bristol by DUNMORE Corporation .
DUNMORE has been a major supplier of highly specialized materials for space exploration for more than 25 years, on board missions including the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Juno, Aquarius and Curiosity exploratory missions.
Even as government-sponsored space business diminishes, aerospace remains a growing market for DUNMORE, says Vice President John Jordon, with private-sector satellites and soon space tourism making up the slack.
DUNMORE is a 41-year-old supplier of coated and laminated films used in a wide range of industries. The company has three locations: its Bristol headquarters and plant, where its aerospace products are made, Brewster, NY and Germany. The company recently completed an expansion in NY and is next planning to grow in Bristol. For now, employment, about 300 worldwide with about 100 in Bristol, is steady, Jordon says.
Meanwhile, the twin probes, protected by DUNMORE's multi-layer insulation covering the crafts' exteriors and instruments, will spend the next two years looping through the Van Allen radiation belts that encircle the planet. Their mission is to send back critical data to help scientists understand space weather's effects on power grids, communications systems and GPS service.
Source: John Jordon, DUNMORE Corp
Writer: Elise Vider