Reentry demonstration of deploy able and flexible aeroshell for atmospheric-entry vehicle using sounding rockets

An inflatable decelerator is promising as atmospheric-entry systems in the next generation. Our group focus on a flare-type membrane aeroshell sustained by an inflatable torus, especially, although the various kinds of inflatable decelerators were proposed and researched in past. The flare-type membrane aeroshell may make atmospheric entry systems simple and low-mass easily because the aeroshell can be composed of only thin membrane. As an important milestone of our development, a re-entry demonstration of the flare-type membrane aeroshell was carried out using Japanese S-310 sounding rocket. The experimental vehicle which has a 1.2-meter-diameter membrane aeroshell and 15.6kg in total weight was developed for the re-entry demonstration. The membrane aeroshell with the inflatable torus was deployed in the space under the zero gravity and vacuum condition, and the experimental vehicle reentered the earth atmosphere from 150km in altitude. The experimental vehicle accelerated to 1.32km/s due to the gravity force and started to decelerate due to the aerodynamic force at 70km in altitude. According to the flight data, the experimental vehicle kept intact during the re-entry and the flare type membrane aeroshell achieved the expected decelerating performance. This re-entry demonstration proves that the flare-type membrane aeroshell sustained by the inflatable torus works well as a decelerator for atmospheric-entry vehicles.