​On July 10th, CIRA presented a full-scale prototype of the ceramic flap for Space Rider, the future reusable aerospace European aircraft, to the European Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space Italy.

The product of a partnership between CIRA and Petroceramics, the prototype has been made from ISiComp® material, a new ceramic reinforced composite which, despite its rapid and affordable production cycles, provides outstanding mechanical and thermal performance levels; it has already demonstrated its effectiveness as a structural material for atmospheric entry with a series of testing campaigns in SCIROCCO.

CIRA is in charge of the design, development and construction of the control-surface subsystem for the Space Rider vehicle. Made up of two mobile body flaps in C/SiC which withstand extremely high temperatures without deteriorating, the subsystem allows for aerodynamic control during the phase of autonomous atmospheric entry.

Weighing in at a mere 10 kilogrammes and measuring 900 x 700 mm in all, the flap has been designed with a complex shape that ensures, on the one hand, an excellent aerodynamic performance, and on the other, thermal and mechanical characteristics that enable it to bear loads in excess of 1,200 kg and to cope with maximum temperature peaks of 1,650 °C.

The ceramic flap will now be integrated with the other parts of the subsystem, particularly with the titanium bases produced by CIRA using the Additive-Layer-Manufacturing techniques, before undergoing a dynamic testing campaign in the Spatial-Qualification Laboratory. The outcome of the testing campaigns carried out on the prototype contribute positively to the Critical Design Review for the Space Rider Project scheduled for September 2019.​