Development of Advanced Re-Entry Systems Based on Inflatable Heat Shields in the EFESTO Project: Preliminary IOD Mission and System Definition

Paper number

IAC-22,D2,6,8,x71987

Author

Mr. Giuseppe Guidotti, Spain, Deimos Space SLU

Coauthor

Mr. Federico Trovarelli, Spain, Deimos Space SLU

Coauthor

Mrs. Irene Pontijas Fuentes, Spain, Deimos Space SLU

Coauthor

Mr. Alejandro Rivero Martín, Spain, Deimos Space SLU

Coauthor

Mr. Thorn Schleutker, Germany, DLR (German Aerospace Center)

Coauthor

Mrs. Ingrid Monika Dietlein, Germany, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)

Coauthor

Mr. Giovanni Gambacciani, Italy, Aviospace S.R.L

Coauthor

Mr. Giuseppe Governale, Italy, Politecnico di Torino

Coauthor

Dr. Roberto Gardi, Italy, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre

Coauthor

Dr. Jean-Luc VERANT, France, Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA)

Coauthor

Mr. Yann Dauvois, France, Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA)

Coauthor

Dr. Ysolde Prevereaud, France, ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab

Year

2022

Abstract

The European Union H2020 project EFESTO is coordinated by DEIMOS Space with the goals of improving the TRL of Inflatable Heat Shields for re entry vehicles in Europe from 3 to 4/5 and paving the way to an In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) that could further raise the TRL to 6. This paper provides a synthesis of the EFESTO design and experimental achievements and sums up the inflatable heatshield IOD mission and system design. This is the final step of the EFESTO project. First, the initial IOD design resulted from a dedicated Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) session is introduced. The session core consisted of trading-off the system configuration options derived from the sequential design and testing campaigns, including the inflatable structure and F-TPS key subsystems. Additional aspects, such as launcher and landing site selection, were considered. The driving rationale is the maximization of the scientific return of the experiment while also taking into account feasibility considerations related to the current European space sector capabilities and market opportunities. The subsequent design phase focused on harmonizing the CEF mission and system definition and extending it  with a preliminary assessment of the IOD system realization and mission implementation. This final output represents a unique contribution of the EFESTO project to the European know-how in inflatable heatshield technology and promotes the relevance of the EFESTO consortium in the frame of a European re-entry technology roadmap.

Abstract document

IAC-22,D2,6,8,x71987.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-22,D2,6,8,x71987.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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