Biddeford firm picks up $24M NASA contract for Mars missions work
Courtesy / FMI
FMI, a Biddeford composites manufacturing company, has been awarded a $24 million five-year NASA contract to create thermal protective shields for three Mars missions.
Biddeford composite manufacturer FMI has been awarded a $24 million contract from NASA to provide thermal protection systems for three Mars mission programs.
The company, a subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE: SPR), produces reinforced thermal protection composites for products that must endure high temperatures. The company employs about 240, and plans to recruit for another 60 jobs this year, though all the positions aren't related to the NASA work, according to a spokeswoman.
The contract began last month and will continue to Jan. 19, 2026. The thermal protection systems manufactured by FMI will support several upcoming space missions, including Mars Sample Return Earth Entry Vehicle, MSR Sample Return Lander and Dragonfly. The projects require the materials for both ground testing and flight, a news release from FMI said.
“The team is thrilled to be the supplier of these TPS materials to NASA and to support these exciting missions,” said Steve Violette, Spirit/FMI senior scientist, application engineering. “Not only will this result in the first samples ever returned from Mars, but it will also feature a game-changing technology that will enable more challenging missions for years to come.”
FMI, formerly Fiber Materials Inc., was aquired by Spirit AeroSystems a year ago. The Kansas-based company was looking to diversify its customer base and expand its defense business.
To Mars, and beyond
Dragonfly is a planned mission in the New Frontiers Program scheduled to launch in 2027. It will send a robotic rotorcraft to the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, to study chemistry and habitability. FMI manufactures PICA, a material for the Dragonfly spacecraft’s heat shield that will allow it to enter Titan’s atmosphere.
PICA has been used in several NASA missions, including Stardust, Mars Science Lab and the Curiosity Rover, OSIRIS REx, and Mars 2020, which is on the way to Mars and scheduled to land sometime this month.
Mars Sample Return is a multi-spacecraft mission designed to return samples from Mars. The Mars 2020 spacecraft, protected by its PICA heatshield, will land the Perseverance rover on Mars surface. The Perseverance rover will accomplish several scientific missions, including the collection of samples for MSR.
The MSR mission will require two vehicles to return with samples. Under the NASA contract, FMI will supply the TPS materials for both spacecraft which includes PICA and a new innovation called 3MDCP (formerly HEEET) that FMI helped NASA develop.
“Our team has spent a year and a half establishing the capabilities to support TPS production for NASA’s exploration missions," said Taylor Franklin, Spirit/FMI project engineer. "As TPS Project Manager, I see the contract award as the culmination of all that hard work. It is acknowledgment of the trust NASA has placed in us to deliver the highest quality products required for these missions.”
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