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Aerospace
Special Issues
Thermal Protection System Design of Space Vehicles
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Thermal Protection System Design of Space Vehicles

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 1661

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Roberto Scigliano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA), 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: high-speed vehicle science technology; thermal protection systems; high temperature materials; space structure; CubeSat; space qualification

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thermal Protection Systems (TPSs) are an essential component of space vehicles that protect them against the aerothermal heating created during atmospheric entry. Different types of TPSs, including passive, semi-passive and active systems, have been developed and utilized in recent decades. The increasing demand for reusable launch vehicles (RLSs) and new plans for interplanetary manned and unmanned missions has accelerated to the design and development of novel Thermal Protection Systems (TPSs) for space vehicles.

This Special Issue of Aerospace addresses recent advancements in the development of technology related to various classes of TPSs, with particular attention paid to the simulation of the required complex multiphysics domain. This Special Issue therefore welcomes the submission of papers that address the challenges associated with TPS modeling in various aerospace vehicles and the design of methods that will accelerate the development of new technology. Authors should highlight the design methods and the technological developments that have been achieved. Major aspects such as mass efficient TPS materials and technologies, modeling and simulation tools and techniques, and TPS sensors and measurement systems could be identified as current challenges pertaining to TPSs for future space missions. Detailed discussions of these challenges and insights regarding future prospects for different classes of TPS should be presented in detail.

Dr. Roberto Scigliano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • TPS design and technology for re-entry missions
  • TPS design and technology for interplanetary missions
  • high-temperature innovative materials for TPS applications (CMC, ablative …)
  • reusable launch vehicles (RLSs)
  • TPS modelling techniques

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 2083 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Heat and Drag Reduction Induced by Forward-Facing Cavity in Hypersonic Flow
by Ning Ding, Jianlong Chang and Junhui Liu
Aerospace 2025, 12(5), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050394 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 42
Abstract
The design of heat and drag reduction systems for hypersonic vehicles has garnered widespread global attention. In this study, the Navier–Stokes equations and the SST k-ω turbulence model are employed to establish a simulation model for heat and drag reduction induced by a [...] Read more.
The design of heat and drag reduction systems for hypersonic vehicles has garnered widespread global attention. In this study, the Navier–Stokes equations and the SST k-ω turbulence model are employed to establish a simulation model for heat and drag reduction induced by a forward-facing cavity. The numerical methods are validated using existing experimental results. The oscillation characteristics of the bow shock wave at the head and the shock inside the cavity in hypersonic flows are investigated. The heat and drag reduction mechanisms of the forward-facing cavity are discussed. The effects of the diameter and depth of the cavity on drag and heat reduction are comprehensively analyzed. The obtained results show that a reduction in drag and heat is achieved when a forward-facing cavity is added to the vehicle. The main reasons for this heat reduction are the cold ring mechanism and the energy conversion mechanism. The size of the cold ring is significantly affected by the cavity diameter, whereas the energy conversion mechanism is more sensitive to variations in diameter. The maximum reduction in heat load is 2.2%, and the maximum reduction in the Stanton number is 25.3%. Increases in both diameter and depth enhance drag reduction, achieving an average drag reduction of approximately 1.65%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Protection System Design of Space Vehicles)
18 pages, 4636 KiB  
Article
Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Opposing Jet Combined with Magnetohydrodynamic Control in Hypersonic Nonequilibrium Flows
by Wenqing Zhang, Zhijun Zhang and Weifeng Gao
Aerospace 2025, 12(4), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12040308 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 214
Abstract
To improve the thermal protection effect of an opposing jet, a novel thermal protection technology (i.e., an opposing jet combined with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control technology) is proposed in this study. Considering the flight conditions of an ELECTRE vehicle and the unsteady state of [...] Read more.
To improve the thermal protection effect of an opposing jet, a novel thermal protection technology (i.e., an opposing jet combined with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control technology) is proposed in this study. Considering the flight conditions of an ELECTRE vehicle and the unsteady state of the opposing jet, we employed the time-accurate nonequilibrium N-S equations coupled with a low-magnetic-Reynolds-number model to explore the jet characteristics, thermal protection effects, and aerodynamic drag characteristics of this novel technology. Two jet conditions (PR2.53 and PR5.07) and four magnetic field conditions (no-MHD, B0 = 1 T, 2 T, and 4 T) were employed. The results show that the introduction of a magnetic field can guide the flow of the opposing jet by reconstructing the shock, where the reattachment shock is pushed away from the surface and the shock standoff distance (SSD) increases. Compared with the opposing jet and the MHD control technologies, this novel technology can provide a better thermal protection effect. In particular, it enables a long penetration mode (LPM) jet, which aggravates the aerodynamic heating environment around the vehicle at lower flow rates to provide effective thermal protection for the vehicle. Moreover, this novel technology can achieve effective thermal protection without increasing the aerodynamic drag at an appropriate jet mass flow rate and a magnetic field strength. For example, under the B0 = 2 T magnetic field, the ratios of peak wall heat flux for the two technologies (the MHD control technology and the PR2.53 jet combined MHD control technology) are 0.908 and 0.820, respectively, whereas the ratios of average drags for the two technologies are 1.235 and 0.993, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Protection System Design of Space Vehicles)
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16 pages, 3077 KiB  
Article
Comparison Between Numerical and Experimental Methodologies for Total Enthalpy Determination in Scirocco PWT
by Antonio Smoraldi and Luigi Cutrone
Aerospace 2024, 11(12), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11121023 - 14 Dec 2024
Viewed by 842
Abstract
Arc-jet facility tests are critical for replicating the extreme thermal conditions encountered during high-speed planetary entry, where the precise determination of flow enthalpy is essential. Despite its importance, a systematic comparison of methods for determining enthalpy in the Scirocco Plasma Wind Tunnel had [...] Read more.
Arc-jet facility tests are critical for replicating the extreme thermal conditions encountered during high-speed planetary entry, where the precise determination of flow enthalpy is essential. Despite its importance, a systematic comparison of methods for determining enthalpy in the Scirocco Plasma Wind Tunnel had not yet been conducted. This study evaluates three experimental techniques—the sonic throat method, the heat balance method, and the heat transfer method—under various operating conditions in the Scirocco facility, employing a nozzle C configuration (10° half-angle conical nozzle with a 90 cm exit diameter). These methods are compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) simulations to address discrepancies between experimental and predicted enthalpy and heat flux values. Significant deviations between measured and simulated results prompted a reassessment of the numerical and experimental models. Initially, the Navier–Stokes model, which assumes chemically reacting, non-equilibrium flows and fully catalytic copper walls, underestimated the heat flux. By incorporating partial catalytic behavior for the copper probe surface, the CFD results showed better agreement with the experimental data, providing a more accurate representation of heat flux and flow enthalpy within the test environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Protection System Design of Space Vehicles)
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