UpSTAGE Technology Report: Special Manufacturing and Fabrication Processes

In the conduct of the UpSTAGE Experiment, a number of special manufacturing processes were developed to meet the advanced state-of-the-art performance requirements of the interceptor design. Significant technological advances in materials processing were made to enable the successful manufacture of fuel tanks, fuel manifold frames, thick-film electronic assemblies, heat shield insulation, internal hot gas duct insulation, and solid propellant booster motors. A description of these process developments emphasizes the methods used to manufacture these components and to resolve the processing problems encountered.