OPTICAL COATINGS FEATURE
manufactures two types of coatings for space-based applications – high performance mirrors and narrow band pass filter coatings. According to sales director Jamie Pindard, the company has recently completed a contract for a UK space firm to create narrow band pass filter coatings capable of operating at the cryogenic temperatures commonly experienced in space – meaning that the team had to optimise the coatings’ thermal stability ‘whilst ensuring the spectral performance was not affected.’ Artemis filters were also recently used on an electro-optical payload that formed part of a satellite imaging system used to monitor crop growth and sea levels for the host country. The filters work by allowing specific wavelengths of light to transmit through the optic to allow the system to ‘see’ the colour in question. ‘The coating also has to block out other
energy in the UV, visible and infrared to ensure that there is no distortion of discolouration in what the system can see. In this instance, our filter suite had to transmit green, red, yellow, blue and near- infrared,’ Pindard explained. ‘As coating is itself a niche area of
technology, it is not unusual for potential customers to partner with us at the early stages of a requirement to utilise our expertise in this area. We often develop the
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coating specification for the customers to meet their system requirements,’ he added. Pindard agreed that the key challenge
faced in developing a coating for space is the need to ensure performance over time as, unlike land-based systems, the equipment is not easily replaced. In recognition of this fact, he reveals that Artemis staff often work with customers to determine the exact level of accelerated shelf life or stress testing deemed necessary to guarantee confidence of functionality after launch. ‘We believe that being open to complete
several iterations of a product and allowing for these to be tested by the customer in some way is key to this approach to working. At a practical and financial level,
this means having an NRE [non-recurring engineering] model which is not prohibitive and flexible, both commercially and technically, to a change of requirements,’ he said. Although many companies produce optical coatings with space-based applications specifically in mind, others manufacture materials that are in practice no different from those created for earth- based uses. One such company is Edmund Optics, which is currently working with NASA on a set of specifications for an imaging lens to be used for various inspection activities on the International Space Station (ISS). According to Joel Bagwell, director of engineering and manufacturing technology at the company,
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