The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator

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BR-138

October 1998

The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator


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The

A h i


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atmosphere. It will test and qualify reentry

technologies and flight control algorithms

under actual flight conditions.

What is the AtmosphericReentry Demonstrator?ESAs Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator

The Atmospheric Reentry Demon


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mastered the technical and operational

know-how for both the ascent and return

phases of space vehicles.

With the flight of the ARD, Europe is

undertaking a complete spaceflight cycle,

from launch to landing, with its own

Artists impression of the assemblyof the ARD on Ariane-5s Speltra in Kourou.


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What is the overall designof the ARD?The ARD has an external diameter of

2.80 m, an overall height of 2.04 m and

a launch mass of 2800 kg. Roughly

speaking, it looks like a 70%-scale Apollo

capsule, with the remarkable differencethat it incorporates modern technologies.

The ARD has an air- and water-tight

pressurised structure. In principle, it is

designed to float by itself. However, after

landing, two balloons will make sure that

it floats upright, with the heatshield fully

immersed in the water. This position

contributes to better thermal equilibrium


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ARD vehicle architecture.


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pressurised by nitrogen. The thrusters are

positioned so that three provide control in


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containing randomly oriented silica fibres

impregnated with phenolic resin. These

tiles are arranged as one central tile and

Thermal protectiontiles are applied to theARD heatshield atAerospatiale.


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heatshield will lose only 0.5 mm of its

thickness during reentry. This has the

advantage that ARDs aerodynamic shape

can be considered as constant, which

Principal stages in the mission of ARD


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L0: the flight begins with the liftoff of

Ariane-5 from Kourous ELA-3 launch complex.

L0+2 min 21 s: altitude 70 km, Arianes two

solid-propellant boosters separate from thecore stage.

L0+3 min 13 s: altitude 115 km, Arianes

fairing, which shields the payload from

aerodynamic pressure during flight through

the dense layers of the atmosphere, separates.

L0+9 min 59 s: altitude 167 km, Arianes

core stage shuts down and separates from the

beginning of the aerodynamic flig

order to reach the landing zone w

accuracy and to keep the decelera

and thermal fluxes within authoris

the ARD automatically curves eithenominal flight path using its thrust

90 km altitude, the heating begins

significant. At 90-80 km altitude, t

expected to enter the radio blacko

45 km, it emerges from the blacko

second ARIA aircraft is positioned t

telemetry from the moment the AR

blackout until it lands on the wate

What is the ARD flight sequence?

The ARD will be mounted on the top position of Ariane-5s SPELTRA multiple payload car

structure, with the heatshield pointing in the direction of flight .


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soon as the ARD desc

will be in telemetry co

Air Force aircraft At t


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This test model demonstrated the descent andrecovery system in July 1996 after being releasedfrom a high-altitude balloon launched from Trapani,Italy.

During the reentry phase, as soon as the

ARD has descended to about 200 km


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What is the total ARD cost?

The fixed-price contract with Aerospatiale for the development of th

at ECU 30 million. The modifications resulting from the Ariane-5 failu

additional expenditures of ECU 3.2 million.

The atmospheric drop-test cost ECU 1.8 million. The ARD ground seg

a value of ECU 4 million. Additional ECU 4 million are reserved for th

analysis and evaluation of the results from the ARD flight, a task requ

1 year.

In total, the whole ARD project, covering the flight segment, the gro

evaluation of the flight, as well as additional activities, will cost abou

What are the a


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Which industrial companies have been involved?

Under the lead of Aerospatiales Space and Defense Division, located at Saint-Mdard-en-Ja

France, 27 European and US companies participated in the realisation of the ARD. The ma

their areas of technical responsibility are:

Aerospatiale (France) as prime contractor

was responsible for vehicle layout;

thermal protection; architecture and

validation of the guidance andnavigation system; onboard and ground

segment software; assembly, integration

and testing; antennas.

Alenia (Italy) together with Irvin in Italy

and USA was responsible for the descent

and landing system, i.e. the parachute

system and the flotation equipment,

including the balloon drop test in

Matra Marconi Space (France)

responsible for the functional

SABCA and SONACA in Belgiudeveloped the structure.

TRASYS (Belgium) was involve

software development.

Further subcontracts involved Se

Avionique, Intertechnique and O

France, ABT and ETCA in Belgiu

Sweden Alcatel in Denmark and


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BR-138 (ISBN 92-9092-613-9)

Text: D. Isakeit, Ph. Watillon, A. Wilson (ESA);

C. Cazaux (CNES);

G.Brard, T. Leveugle (Aerospatiale)

Editor: A. Wilson

Photos: ESA, Aerospatiale, DASA

Artists views: D. Ducros

Design: C. Haakman, A. Wilson

Price: 15 Dutch Guilders

European Space Agency

Documents

The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator