Inversion Selected by NASA to Advance Aerocapture Technology for Future Interplanetary Missions
Arc is a highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft being developed for the rapid delivery of cargo from space, hypersonic testing, and national security missions that require precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. The NASA study will explore how this capability could be applied to future interplanetary missions.
Aerocapture is a simple but powerful idea: use a planet's atmosphere to slow down instead of fuel.
Spacecraft arriving at another planet are traveling at tremendous speeds and traditionally must carry significant propellant to slow down and enter orbit. Aerocapture instead uses aerodynamic forces during a single controlled pass through the atmosphere to shed velocity and achieve orbital capture. Less fuel means mass savings that can enable greater flexibility in launch vehicle selection, increased science payload, and significantly shorter trip times.
Despite decades of research, aerocapture has never been demonstrated in flight. NASA is working toward an Earth demonstration to mature the technology and provide the flight data needed to enable its use on potential future interplanetary missions – from Mars telecommunications satellites to exploration of Uranus and Neptune.
Under the contract, Inversion will study how Arc could support the demonstration through mission design, aerodynamics, trajectory analysis, and vehicle definition.
"Our Arc spacecraft was designed to precisely control the transition from space through an atmosphere at hypersonic velocities," said Justin Fiaschetti, Co-Founder and CEO of Inversion. "Aerocapture applies many of those same fundamental capabilities to an entirely new class of missions. We're excited to work with NASA to demonstrate what advanced reentry technologies can enable, both at Earth and across the solar system."
The study represents a new frontier for Arc and highlights the growing range of missions enabled by advanced reentry.
SOURCE Inversion
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