Technical Fibre Products (TFP) fine glass veil was supplied to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and can be found in the high temperature insulation patch on the satellite’s Advanced Microwave Radiometer. TFP’s glass veil is used as the internal separation layers within the insulation patch, an essential part of the thermal management of the satellite. According to the company, orbital manoeuvres can temporarily align the sun near the axis of the parabolic reflector of the radiometer. Concentrated sunlight then heats small areas of insulation, and conventional insulation cannot withstand this heating. The high temperature insulation patch, containing TFP’s nonwoven veil, withstands this heating and protects the vulnerable, conventional multi-layer insulation from overheating.

The Advanced Microwave Radiometer is part of the Jason-3 mission and was successfully launched on January 17, 2016. It is the result of a collaboration between NASA, NOAA, CNES and Eumetsat and represents the latest in a series of satellites dedicated to measuring the global sea surface height. The satellite will make detailed sea-level measurements with a view to gaining greater insight into ocean circulation as well as climate change.