DLR Unveils Thermal Protection Design for Reusable Hypersonic Flight Systems – Findings from STORT CMC Forebody Study

Source | © DLR

The DLR Institute of Structures and Design (Stuttgart) has published a new paper, “Thermal Protection Design for Reusable Hypersonic Flight Systems,” which details the institute’s contribution to the realization of the STORT project’s (which ran from 2019-2022) long-duration hypersonic flight experiment.

In the STORT program, researchers developed  material and process technologies for advancing reusable space transportation systems capable of withstanding the several aero-thermal loads that reusable first or upper stages experience during re-entry.

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A key focus in the project was the design of the sounding rocket forebody structure. This required a dedicated multidisciplinary approach, including the integration of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC)-based thermal protection system (TPS) to ensure a thermally stable structure capable of withstanding hypersonic flight’s extreme aerothermal loads.

A three-stage rocket was launched from the Andøya Space launch site in northern Norway in June 2022, achieving a maximum flight speed of around 9,000 km/hr at an altitude of 38 km before the upper stage returned to earth. Extensive measurement data was transmitted to the ground station during the flight.

The recent paper is one of the results of this flight and data, outlining the DLR’s main design decisions and presenting efficient and reliable numerical models for thermo-mechanical validation, confirmed using valuable flight data collected during the mission.

Access the full paper here. Find more information about the STORT project here.

Authors: Giuseppe Daniele Di Martino, Thomas Reimer, Luis Baier, Lucas Dauth, Dorian Hargarten (DLR Moraba) and Ali Gülhan (DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology).