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![FIGURE 2.1: ParaShield Demonstrator [1]](profile/Alberto-Fedele/publication/352488627/figure/fig1/AS:1035720818962432@1623946494341/ParaShield-Demonstrator-1_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 2.2: BREM-SAT 2 folded and deployed configurations [3]](profile/Alberto-Fedele/publication/352488627/figure/fig2/AS:1035720818958336@1623946494503/BREM-SAT-2-folded-and-deployed-configurations-3_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 2.3: IRDT System in folded and deployed configuration [4]](profile/Alberto-Fedele/publication/352488627/figure/fig3/AS:1035720818958337@1623946494581/IRDT-System-in-folded-and-deployed-configuration-4_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 2.4: IRVE System in deployed configuration [13]](profile/Alberto-Fedele/publication/352488627/figure/fig4/AS:1035720818978816@1623946494676/IRVE-System-in-deployed-configuration-13_Q320.jpg)
Deployable aerobrakes for Earth re-entry capsules may offer many advantages
in the near future, including the opportunity to recover on Earth payloads
and samples from Space with reduced risks and costs with respect to conventional
systems. Such capsules can be accommodated in the selected launcher in
folded configuration (optimizing the available...
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As the International Space Station comes to the end of a transformative era of in-space research, NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations (CLD) Program aims to catalyze a new generation of platforms with co-investment from the private sector, preventing a potential gap in research performed in LEO, while building a robust LEO economy....
Citations
... In ref. [23], the results show that aerodynamic drag modulation of umbrella-like heat shields is an efficient way to control the re-entry location. An adaptive aerobrake using aerodynamic flaps is also addressed in ref. [24] to efficiently steer the vehicle during re-entry. In ref. [25], such a technology is also combined with a fiber-optic-based closed-loop feedback monitoring system in order to realize a full autonomous re-entry system. ...
Morphing technology is increasingly emerging as a novel and alternative approach for performing the controlled re-entry and precise landing of space vehicles by using adaptive aeroshell structure designs. This work is intended as a preliminary conceptual design of an innovative shape-changing mechanism for the controlled re-entry and safe recovery of CubeSat class systems aimed at recovering payloads and data from LEO at low cost for post flight inspections and experimentations. Such an adaptive and mechanically deployable aeroshell consists of a multi-hinge assembly based on a set of finger-like articulations having two-modal capabilities. The deployable surface can be modulated by a single translational actuator in order to adapt the lift-to-drag ratio for guided entry. Furthermore, once deployed, the system can activate eight small movable aerodynamic flaps that can be individually morphed via an SMA-based actuation to enhance the capsule maneuverability during the re-entry trajectory, by using exclusively aerodynamic forces to guarantee additional precision in landing. Multi-body simulations on retraction/deployment of the system are addressed to investigate the most critical aspects for actual implementation of the concept. Additionally, the morphing behavior and the control effect of the shape memory alloy actuation are preliminary assessed through parametric analysis. This paper is framed within a scientific cooperation between Italy and Brazil in the framework of the SPLASH project, funded in part for the Italian side by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), and by CONFAP through the involved State Funding Agencies (FAPs) for the Brazilian side.
... The heat shield is based on the design of the Mini Irene Flight demonstrator (Bassano et al., 2011Gardi et al., 2017Vernillo et al., 2017Zamprotta et al., 2019Vernillo et al., 2019. The Mini Irene Flight demonstrator has already been manufactured, tested in a plasma wind tunnel facility, and is now ready to be tested in an upcoming ESA suborbital mission (Fedele and Mungiguerra, 2018Fedele et al., 2019Fedele et al., 2020Fedele, 2020. The same heat shield has also been analyzed for use in a Mars aerocapture mission for a small satellite (Isoletta et al., 2021). ...
Spacecraft returning scientific samples or humans from space must be capable of surviving re-entry and landing in a desired location. Traditionally, this has been accomplished via a propulsive de-orbit burn. However, it is not always possible to mount a propulsion system on board a satellite or a capsule. In the case of small satellites deployed from the International Space Station, for example, on-board propulsion systems are forbidden for safety reasons.
Our work proposes a new technological solution for re-entering and landing a spacecraft in a desired location from a low Earth orbit using exclusively aerodynamic drag and eliminating the need for chemical propulsion. First, an iterative procedure is utilized to compute the desired state at the re-entry interface (100 km) such that a propagation of the vehicle dynamics in the nominal re-entry drag configuration from this initial state leads to a landing at a desired latitude and longitude on the surface of the Earth. Next, a re-entry point targeting algorithm is utilized to determine the on-orbit ballistic coefficient profile necessary to target the desired re-entry point. Finally, the ballistic coefficient profile during the final hours of the trajectory before the re-entry interface is iteratively modified to correct any remaining along-track error in the landing location.
The proposed solution is applied to a small satellite system that is jettisoned from the ISS and is equipped with a deployable heat shield that also serves as a drag device.
