Facts and figures

Expert Mission Summary

Mission objectives

Measurement of critical aerothermodynamic phenomena during the hypersonic flight of an atmospheric reentry vehicle, for comparison with computer analytical and wind/plasma tunnel test predictions.

Reference payloads

• Flush Air Data System

• Pyrometric Instrumentation for Nose Heating

• Laminar to Turbulent Transition Characterisation (natural transition and roughness induced transition)

• Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction on a body flap and in the area surrounding the body flap.

• Shock Layer Chemistry measurements via emission spectroscopy.

• Sharp Hot Structure experiment

• Skin Friction measurement

• Base Flow characterisation

Spacecraft

Landing system

Data volume

Stabilisation

Mission

Ballistic trajectory

Launch vehicle

Volna (decommissioned Russian ICBM)

Launch mass

436 kg into suborbital trajectory

Launch site

Pacific Ocean (off the Kamchatka coast)

Launch windows

April-October 2011

Flight duration

10 minutes

Landing site

Kura Range (Kamchatka, Russia)

Gound Station

Russian ground station in the Kura range

Programmatics

• Spacecraft design and manufacturing funded within Interim Technology Phase for Reusable Transportation and Atmospheric Reentry

• Payload funded through TRP, GSTP, and provided as national contributions of European research entities

• Launch and recovery operations costs paid proportionally by the countries participating in the vehicle development