NASA successfully tested an inflatable heat shield in space Last year. The technology has since attracted interest from several companies working with the agency to develop it further.
The heat shield, called LOFTID (Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator), was launched as a secondary payload on an Atlas 5 rocket in November 2022. It deployed a six-meter-wide inflatable heat shield that survived reentry and splashed in the Pacific Ocean.
The LOFTID mission’s success has caught the attention of several companies. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is one of them and is working with NASA to develop a bigger, 10-meter-wide inflatable heat shield.
ULA hopes to use the technology to recover the booster engine section of its Vulcan rocket, allowing for engine reuse and resulting in cost savings and environmental impact reduction.
Other companies that are interested in LOFTID technology include:
- Outpost, a startup that is developing commercial reentry systems
- Blue Origin, which provided funding for data collection during the LOFTID mission
- Several unnamed companies are looking at even larger inflatable heat shields for potential applications
The partnerships between NASA and these companies are helping to advance the development of LOFTID technology. This technology has the potential to revolutionize space travel, making it more affordable and sustainable
Benefits of Inflatable Heat Shields
Inflatable heat shields have several advantages over traditional rigid heat shields. They are:
- Lighter: Inflatable heat shields can be made much lighter than traditional heat shields, which can save fuel and reduce the cost of launching spacecraft.
- More compact: Inflatable heat shields can be folded up and stored in a small space, which makes them ideal for missions that require a lot of cargo space.
- More versatile: Inflatable heat shields can be designed in different sizes and shapes, which makes them suitable for a variety of missions.
The Future of Inflatable Heat Shields
NASA believes that inflatable heat shields are a key technology for future human missions to Mars. The agency is continuing to invest in the development of this technology, and it is working with companies to bring it to market.
Here are some of the potential applications of inflatable heat shields:
- Landing payloads on Mars: Inflatable heat shields could be used to land large payloads on Mars, such as rovers and habitats.
- Returning astronauts from Mars: Inflatable heat shields could be used to protect astronauts as they return to Earth from Mars.
- Recovering spacecraft: Inflatable heat shields could be used to recover valuable spacecraft components, such as engines and boosters.
- Protecting satellites: Inflatable heat shields could be used to protect satellites from the harsh environment of space.
The advancement of inflatable heat shield technology is still in its initial phases, but it has the potential to transform space exploration. This innovation could enable the transportation of bigger payloads to Mars, bring astronauts back to Earth safely, and retrieve valuable spacecraft components.
Overall, the success of the LOFTID mission has demonstrated that inflatable heat shields are a feasible technology with a broad range of potential applications. NASA and its partners are still advancing this technology, and it is expected to have a significant role in future space exploration.