SAMA Project: production begins on the technology demonstrator for Mars exploration

CIRA has successfully passed the Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR) for the Separable Aeroshell for Martian discrete-event drag modulation Aerocapture (SAMA) project, receiving official authorization from the European Space Agency (ESA) and prime contractor Thales Alenia Space Italy to begin manufacturing the technology demonstrator, to be realized in collaboration with ALI S.p.A. This milestone marks the start of a three-month production phase, which will deliver the system's two core macro-components: the Nose and the Drag Ring.

These elements will be at the center of a crucial test campaign scheduled for the summer of 2026 at CIRA's facilities. The tests aim to verify the flawless operation of the release mechanisms under conditions that closely mimic real-world flight operations. To achieve this level of fidelity, CIRA's experimental setup involves spinning the demonstrator to simulate actual flight dynamics, combined with a custom spring system designed to replicate the aerodynamic loads and accelerations acting on the Drag Ring during the delicate separation phase.

This effort is part of ESA's Terra Novae 2030+ Exploration Strategy, which is evaluating a mission to Mars to demonstrate the effectiveness of aerocapture. This innovative technique simplifies Mars orbit insertion by jettisoning a portion of the thermal shield (the aeroshell) during atmospheric entry, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag and altering the vehicle's ballistic coefficient. Within this ambitious engineering challenge, CIRA plays a leading role, taking charge of both the complete development of the technology demonstrator to reach TRL 4, and the thermo-structural sizing of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) for the future flight vehicle.