IXV spaceplane successfully lifted off
(text from http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/IXV/ESA_experimental_spaceplane_completes_research_flight; Pictures / ESA : Vega on the launch pad / Vega lift off)
On 11 February 2015, an experimental vehicle (IXV) to develop an autonomous European reentry capability for future reusable space transportation has completed its mission. ESA’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle flew a flawless reentry and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just west of the Galapagos islands.
The IXV spaceplane lifted off at 13:40 GMT (14:40 CET, 10:40 local time) on 11 February from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana atop a Vega rocket. It separated from Vega at an altitude of 340 km and continued up to 412 km. Reentering from this suborbital path, it recorded a vast amount of data from more than 300 advanced and conventional sensors.
Mastering reentry will open a new chapter for ESA. Such a capability is a cornerstone for reusable launcher stages, sample return from other planets and crew return from space, as well as for future Earth observation, microgravity research, satellite servicing and disposal missions.
The initial results from the flight are expected to be released in around six weeks.
Involvement of the von Karman Institute in the IXV development
Since 2005 ESA developed the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV). Such program aims to consolidate Europe’s autonomous position in the strategic field of atmospheric re-entry for applications ranging from future ambitious space transportation to exploration. A numbers of key technologies for re-entry maneuvers are integrated in the vehicle’s project. The von Karman institute was actively involved for the establishment of the aerothermodynamic database (ATDB) and more specifically for the design of the Thermal Protection System (TPS).
VKI is also responsible for the development of an in-flight experiment to assess the Gas-Surface Interaction (GSI) phenomena along a lifting type re-entry trajectory. The flight experiment is called CATE, for Catalysis Experiment. It consists of two catalytic patches, instrumented with thermocouples, at different locations on the windward side of the vehicle. Such coating will promote a catalytic jump due to the wall chemistry discontinuity that will allow to investigate the reaction-diffusion processes associated with the GSI phenomena during a re-entry flight.
CATE has been inspired from space shuttle experiments; its adaptation for IXV has been completely developed at VKI. Particular attention was devoted to the duplication of the flight conditions in ground testing facility taking into account all the specific features of the re-entry flight.
VKI and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in November 2011 under which VKI acts as a reference laboratory for ESA. This agreement involves 10 research staff and more than 20 PhD students in a continuous effort devoted to the present space transportation missions and the challenges of the future space explorations.