Twelve heat-shield capsules

On 9 October, Cygnus XL left the ISS carrying 12 activated KREPE-3 capsules. NASA scheduled deorbiting for 12 October. The capsules were designed to separate as the vehicle broke apart and transmit temperature, pressure, motion, magnetic-field and light measurements. NASA’s report describes experiment preparations.

The technology set is broad: familiar ceramic tile, a 3D-printed heat shield, stitched carbon-and-phenolic MERINO layers, an umbrella-like deployable shield and a capsule shaped like the aeroshell for the Dragonfly mission. Some samples are intended to validate computer models against a real atmospheric entry.

Measurements during atmospheric entry

KREPE-3 uses a cargo vehicle’s planned deorbit to test thermal-protection samples without a separate launch. The measurements are intended to compare material behaviour with atmospheric-entry computer models. Analysis requires decoding the returned telemetry.

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