Space Rider, ISiComp® successfully passes plasma test after hypervelocity impact

Qualification activities for the Thermal Protection System (TPS) are progressing within the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Rider program, with Thales Alenia Space acting as prime contractor. The latest tests focused on the Body Flap Assembly (BFA), with the specific objective of evaluating its behaviour and resilience following an impact with micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD).

A flap made of ISiComp®, the ceramic composite material developed by CIRA and Petroceramics, was subjected to a severe thermal and structural resistance test inside the Plasma Wind Tunnel (PWT).

The objective of the test was to verify the structural integrity of the component exposed to a plasma flow, representative of atmospheric re-entry, in the presence of damage. The flap had previously undergone a hypervelocity impact test at the Fraunhofer Institute (EMI) facilities to simulate a potential MMOD (Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris) impact in orbit.

The flap was struck by a 2.3 mm diameter aluminum projectile at an impressive speed of 6.5 km/s, which created a hole approximately 1 cm in diameter on the component's surface.

During the PWT test, the flap reached a temperature of 1200°C, successfully maintaining it stably for over 600 seconds.

Following this severe plasma exposure, the dimensions of the hole remained unchanged, as verified not only visually but also through non-destructive inspections. This crucial finding confirms the outstanding damage tolerance characteristics of ISiComp® when exposed to conditions representative of atmospheric re-entry. This result was completely validated and confirmed by comparing the LIT (Lock-in Thermography) analyses performed before and after the tunnel test.