Redwire To launch new technology to the ISS focused on improving laser optics products redwirespace.com

Redwire will launch its sixth manufacturing facility to the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply mission (NG-15), set to launch no earlier than Saturday, February 20.

The Industrial Crystallization Facility is a commercial in-space manufacturing facility designed to demonstrate microgravity-enhanced techniques for growing inorganic KDP crystals that are commonly used in high-energy laser systems on Earth.

On Earth, certain KDP crystals are used in high-power, large laser systems. These crystals are often subject to laser-induced damage which limits the output of the system. This damage is often caused by impurities created during the crystal growth process. ICF will employ specific crystal growth techniques in microgravity that could minimize these gravity-induced defects and yield improved crystals for these types of applications. While organic molecular crystal growth has been studied on the International Space Station for many years, ICF is explicitly focused on growing inorganic crystals for industrial applications.

ICF was developed in partnership with NASA’s ISS Research Integration Office at Johnson Space Center.

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