We’ll get you down to the surface of Mars! – How Kevlar® and Technora® ensured Perseverance’s survival

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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

High Tensile Strength
Heat Resistant
Extensive Range of Applications

Mars Landing

On the evening of the 18th of February 2021, 292 million miles from Earth, Perseverance, NASA’s new Mars rover, landed on the surface of the red planet. For four minutes, the rover decelerated in Mars’s atmosphere with its heatshield, going from 12,500mph, to around 940mph. At 940mph, the parachute deployed, transferring the load of the 1 tonne rover to the Technora^® parachute lines. The parachute, which also relied on Kevlar^® components, and the Technora^® parachute lines were entrusted to safely slow down the USD2.7 billion rover to around 200mph for the final rocket-propelled landing. Maybe you won’t be suspending USD2.7 billion of your scientific hopes and dreams from 60kg of nylon, Kevlar^®, and Technora^®, but whatever your application, we’ll endeavour to help.

Technora®

Technora^® is one of two para-aramid fibres that we have available. It is available in various forms. Technora^® filament yarns can be used in many situations where high-tensile strength and flexibility is needed from a material, be it a pipe, a rope, a hose, or even clothing! Technora^® filament yarns can also be cut into short-cut fibres to be used as a reinforcement in resin, cement, and rubber. Technora® is also available as a staple fibre, which can be used to improve the heat and cut resistance properties of textiles. It can also be stretch broken, which you can read about here.

Kevlar®

Saving a gung-ho police officer is certainly one use of Kevlar^®, but did you know that it could also be in your speakers? Kevlar^® is available as both an industrial yarn, but also as a short fibre, which you can read about We even have Kevlar^®/steel sewing threads available, which can be used in applications up to 700°C. Read more about this here . Kevlar^® comes in various forms including Kevlar^® 29 and Kevlar^®49; the first being relatively less stiff and the second being relatively stiffer. Kevlar^® 29’s breaking strength is appreciably higher than Kevlar^® 49, while Kevlar 49^® has a notably higher tensile modulus.