TRACE ejection at 78.5km

On March 14th our TRanspiration Cooling Experiment (TRACE) was launched on REXUS 31 from Esrange Space Center and was ejected at an apogee of 78.5km, after which the TRACE capsule flew back to earth independently.
Our team developed a transpiration cooling system for a re-entry vehicle.
The transpiration cooling effect is achieved by blowing a cooling gas through a porous surface into the boundary layer around the structure of the vehicle to reduce the thermal stresses acting on it. Re-use of the system can be achieved simply by topping up the coolant tank.
The shape of the experiment allows for passive aerodynamic stabilisation when entering the lower atmosphere, as TRACE reaches speeds of up to Mach 3.5. At an altitude of between 30 and 10 kilometres, the high speed leads to a strong heating of the outer structure. Part of the surface is equipped with new transpiration cooling elements that allow comparison of the surface temperature and heat transfer with reference surfaces, leading to measurements of the effectiveness of the cooling effect. At an altitude of about 8 km, a parachute sequence is activated for recovery.
Learn more about the project on our website and follow our social media for updates on TRACE and our other projects.
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