During the month of November, the qualification of the Mini-Irene re-entry capsule thermal protection system was successfully completed. Two days of testing in the Ghibli facility have, in fact, proved, the ability of the composite material, of which the Heat Shield is made, to withstand the temperatures foreseen during the atmospheric re-entry phase.

The project for which CIRA plays the key role of Prime Contractor and System Design authority, is funded by the Italian Space Agency within the context of the ESA GSTP programmes, the main aim of which is to qualify an extremely innovative deployment and thermal protection system compared to those typically used in the main re-entry aircraft, qualification activities that foresee preliminary tests performed at the CIRA Plasma Wind Tunnel Complex and Space Qualification Laboratory as well as a final test with a sub-orbital space flight at a height of approximately 250 km.

These technologies are considered to be extremely promising both in Europe and in America, where NASA is also working on the development of heat shields based on deployable mechanisms.

Over the coming months, the shock and vibration resistance qualification of the capsule is expected to take place at the Space Qualification Laboratory, followed by its launch from the Esrange European base in Kiruna in Sweden. 

December 4, 2018