High thermal conductivity silicon-carbide ceramics for large-size space optics

The paper describes the important aspects of the developed technology for manufacturing silicon-carbide substrates for optical mirrors intended for future use in space applications. It is shown that the material with the best combination of thermophysical and mechanical properties (Maksutov’s criterion) among the known analogs used for making astronomical mirrors is obtained. The characteristics of a mirror made of a lightweight mirror substrate with a diameter of 205 mm are described, compared with the parameters of most known mirrors made of silicon carbide for various space missions and as proto types. It is shown that the produced substrate is characterized by a rather low specific gravity – 16.5 kg/m2, which is comparable with the indicators of the best world analogues.