A.V.Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute offers consumers silicon carbide mirrors for space telescopes under a manufacturing agreement, is looking for partners to conclude a distribution services agreement, as well as partners interested in acquiring technology for the production of silicon carbide mirrors for space telescopes under a license agreement.

To create space mirrors that provide high image quality, it is necessary to use new materials that differ in a number of properties from optical glasses. On the basis of silicon carbide, a technology has been developed for obtaining a material and making substrates for space mirrors from it.

Samples of mirrors with a diameter of 205 mm and a specific gravity of 17 kg/m2 were made, which is one of the best indicators among world analogues. Successful testing of nozzles for high-temperature burners (nozzles, etc.) for operation at thermal loads up to 5 MW/m2 has been carried out. The silicon carbide porous composite with a nanostructured carbon coating has a large specific surface area (up to 500 m2/g) and can be used as an electrode for energy storage devices (supercapacitors).

The Institute offers partners:
* within the framework of the agreement on distribution services, mirrors for space telescopes made of silicon carbide and substrates for mirrors;
*acquisition of technology for the production of mirrors for space telescopes from silicon carbide and products based on it;
* within the framework of the production agreement, the manufacture of mirrors for space telescopes from silicon carbide, and products based on it.

In terms of the combination of physical and mechanical properties (Maksutov criterion), the obtained ceramic material is one of the best for optical applications - the creation of dimensionally stable mirrors operating in outer space.

In terms of the achieved indicator of the specific gravity of the mirror substrate (17 kg / m2), the development is at the level of the best world analogues (similar mirrors made of silicon carbide):
* primary mirror of the LORRY camera of the New Horizons mission, NASA - mirror diameter 220 mm, 18 kg / m2;
* secondary mirror of the telescope of the Stratospheric Observatory of IR Astronomy SOFIA - a joint project of NASA and the German Center for Aviation and Astronautics - mirror diameter 352 mm, 17.5 kg / m2).

The cost of putting 1 kg of payload into orbit is about 20 thousand US dollars. The developed technology will save about 30 kg of payload when delivering a 1-meter aperture telescope to orbit.

The Si/SiC composite at a high density of 3.13 g/cm3 has a good combination of mechanical (elastic modulus - up to 420 GPa) and thermophysical (thermal conductivity coefficient - up to 180 W/(m K) properties. Due to the high melting point of the material (~ 2700 °C), it can be used to produce mirrors for space applications, as well as elements of combined thermal protection for high-speed aircraft, and other elements of technological equipment.

A.V.Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute is the largest scientific institution in the republic dealing with the solution of fundamental and applied problems of heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, power engineering, heat engineering, chemical physics, physics of combustion and explosion, nanotechnology, as well as the creation of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and equipment, apparatus and devices for power engineering and mechanical engineering, agro-industrial complex and construction industry, medicine, chemical, electronic, radio engineering, food industry, space industry.

The Institute carries out scientific, scientific-organizational, and scientific-production interaction with academic and industrial research institutes, universities, design bureaus, associations, and enterprises of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Latvia, China, USA, India, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Israel, Brazil, Italy, France, and other countries.

Partners interested in purchasing silicon carbide space telescope mirrors and mirror substrates under a distribution services agreement.

Partners interested in acquiring technology for the production of silicon carbide mirrors for space telescopes under a license agreement.

Consumers interested in purchasing silicon carbide space telescope mirrors under a manufacturing agreement.