Joint NASA-ULA Test of New Heatshield Goes Even Better Than Planned

NASA and the United Launch Alliance teamed together to test a new type of heatshield that can be used here on Earth or on Mars. Launched today in conjunction with a new weather satellite for NOAA, the test went even better than planned, with the Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, successfully recovered from the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

LOFTID is a demonstration of a 6-meter diameter Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD), or aeroshell, technology that could one day help NASA land humans on Mars.

ULA is interested in nearer-term possibilities such as using it to return the BE-4 engines that will power its new Vulcan rocket back to Earth for reuse.

NASA and ULA entered into a no-exchange-of-funds Space Act Agreement to jointly demonstrate the technology by launching it on a ULA Atlas V-Centaur mission. LOFTID was encased in a section of the Centaur upper stage where it could be released after Centaur delivered its primary payload, NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 weather satellite, to orbit.

The Atlas V lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA at 4:49 am ET (1:49 am Pacific) this morning and delivered JPSS-2 to a sun-synchronous polar orbit as planned. Early problems with deployment of JPSS’s solar array were resolved by late afternoon.

After Centaur separated from JPSS-2, it performed a typical de-orbit burn, but in this case jettisoned LOFTID after it inflated itself with nitrogen gas.

Let’s look back at the @NASA_Technology #LOFTID separation from Centaur! pic.twitter.com/KXD3g0HcIG

— ULA (@ulalaunch) November 10, 2022

The aeroshell then descended through the atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. Although it was at night local time, infrared cameras on ULA’s recovery ship Kahana II picked it up as it floated down under parachute and softly landed in the water. The project is managed at NASA’s Langely Research Center in Hampton, VA where mission controllers applauded the success. LOFTID was later hoisted aboard the Kahana II with a crane.

Splashdown is confirmed!#LOFTID splashed down in the Pacific Ocean early this morning, and the recovery team worked quickly to retrieve the aeroshell and ejectable data module.

See the moment our LOFTID team at Langley’s Flight Mission Support Center got the exciting news ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CAMtLGbKoF

— NASA Langley Research Center (@NASA_Langley) November 10, 2022

This flexible heatshield is expected to be a significant improvement over the rigid aeroshells used so far. ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno went so far as to call it “revolutionary” and exclaimed that the test went even better than planned.

So far, it looks to have exceeded all expectations https://t.co/gSd74L6Cfb

— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) November 10, 2022

Revolutionary: Shatters the previous weight and geometry limitations of rigid, ablative heatshields that cap the size of a lander and limit what components can be recovered from a rocket architected for high energy orbits https://t.co/teWHuROgTB

— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) November 10, 2022

This was the final launch of Atlas V from Vandenberg. ULA is phasing out both of its rockets, Atlas V and Delta IV, as it brings the new Vulcan series online. The first launch is expected early next year.