First Update of the SHEFEX 2 Campaign

Hello reader!

It follows one note published on the day (06/08), in the website of the Andoya Rocket Range (AAR), announcing the first update of the SHEFEX II Campaign.

Duda Falcão

First Update of the SHEFEX 2 Campaign

The Sharp Edge Flight Experiment, SHEFEX, is testing out

a spacecraft with a new type of heat shield.

Published: 8. June, 2012

Illustration depicting the SHEFEX 2 in the crucial re-entry phase of the mission. Speed will be in excess of mach 10.
Image by: Trond Abrahamsen.

Welcome to the first update in the SHEFEX 2 campaign. Team members are working at various locations at the Range in preparation for the upcoming launch of the second SHEFEX payload. In the Assembly Hall the four large fins was attached to the gigantic VS-40 first stage.

Spacecraft is usually fitted with heat shields that have round angles. The SHEFEX project uses sharp edges and an actively cooled heat shield. Other types of heat shield ablates to protect the spacecraft, which is not very practical when it comes to reusability. Before the spacecraft can be launched in to space again, it will need a new heat shield. For a SHEFEX type spacecraft you would only need to add more coolant.

With active cooling of the heat shield, gas flows out through pores in the tiles. "As the gas emerges, it forms a kind of cooling protective layer across the surface, preventing atmospheric gas from making direct contact with the spacecraft," says Project Manager Hendrik Weihs from the DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart to an article at DLR.de. This technology, known as effusion cooling, is already used to cool the combustion chambers of rockets.

Launch Site

The launch operation will be performed from Andoya.

Launch Period

The launch period goes from 18. June, 2012, to 30. June, 2012.

Mission blog

Active blogs are sorted reverse chronological

Photos by: Trond Abrahamsen

DLR team members setting up in the Experimentator room,

next to the important TM-station

In the Assembly hall, team members attach the four fins to the VS-40 first stage

All four fins have been attached to the huge VS-40 first stage

Source: Website of the Andoya Rocket Range (AAR)

Comentário: Pois é leitor, finalmente se inicia essa esperada campanha de lançamento que é muito importante para o Brasil. Não só por que o seu sucesso pode significar uma abertura de portas na Europa para a venda do versátil foguete brasileiro VS-40, mas também e principalmente  pelo fato dessa missão também carregar um experimento brasileiro relacionado com o projeto do SARA Orbital. Vamos ficar aqui na torcida pelo sucesso dessa missão. Avante IEA, Avante DLR.