It's no secret that space travel is full of mystery and unknowns; significant uncertainties persist in the science of spacecraft re-entry break-up and dispersion.
However, data obtained from re-entry observation missions can improve spacecraft design and re-entry planning to demystify some of the unknowns about space travel.
University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) researchers travelled to New Zealand and the Cook Islands over the weekend to acquire data on Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft's (NG-20) destructive re-entry over the South Pacific.
The data collected will help improve the fidelity of modelling tools for predicting the re-entry of space vehicles and debris.
The Cygnus spacecraft, which delivered hardware and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), included the Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2).
The five KREPE-2 capsules were activated inside the spacecraft before departing the ISS and released during the spacecraft's breakup to evaluate re-entry flow conditions and heat shield performance.
"Our team demonstrated the ability to plan and undertake an airborne observation mission, collecting invaluable data at short notice," said UniSQ Associate Professor Fabian Zander, who led the observation mission.
"This data will help the scientific community increase our understanding of the destructive spacecraft re-entry process and improve the prediction capabilities."
Before the re-entry observation mission, researchers from UniSQ, the University of Kentucky and the University of Stuttgart developed and tested several new types of optical instruments, which were successfully operated as part of the mission.
"Bringing together international experts in the field was an exciting experience and demonstrated how highly regarded the team is worldwide," Associate Professor Zander said.
"We look forward to working with our international partners on future missions."
The observation mission included Dr Byrenn Birch, Dr Andrew Lock and Gerard Armstrong from UniSQ's Hypersonics and Rocketry Group, Professor Alexandre Martin and Assistant Professor Savio Poovathingal from the University of Kentucky and Dr David Leiser from the University of Stuttgart.
The re-entry observation mission was supported by the UniSQ iLAuNCH program and the University of Kentucky.
Learn more about UniSQ's Centre for Hypersonics and Rocketry.
