Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Telescope Program at the Naval Research Laboratory

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has been investigating the possibility of developing meter class telescopes using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) material. In conjunction with Composite Mirror Applications (CMA), for the past three years such a program has proceeded from conceptual phase to prototype development. In this paper we will review that various stages of this program. We will also present the status of our 0.4 meter and 1.4 meter telescopes. Experimental results from these developments and testing will be shown.