The WTiN Podcast is back for another series, and this time we kick off by talking to Peter Hill, director of Woven Fabrics at Heathcoat Fabrics.
Based in Devon, UK, Heathcoat is a market-leading manufacturer of knitted and woven textiles. The company is well known for its work in many industries including automotive, defence and PPE, and for the last 30 years its fabrics have also been adventuring into outer space.
The weaving preparation area at Heathcoat Fabrics
In this episode, Hill talks about Heathcoat’s latest space project, whereby it created the parachute fabric for the Perseverance Rover which landed on Mars on 18 February 2021. Hill explains how Heathcoat first got involved with NASA, what the brief was for the fabric that was responsible for the rover’s safe landing, and the sense of relief he felt when he heard the good news last month.
Rapid inflation testing at the NASA Ames facility. Image credit: NASAJPL-Caltech
Elsewhere, Hill talks about the other space missions that Heathcoat is working on, the company’s technical fabrics for future renewable energy systems, and what life has been like for the business throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
To find out more about Heathcoat Fabrics, visit www.heathcoat.co.uk
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