NASA to test new heat-shield materials with 12 small capsules
NASA’s KREPE-3 experiment will use 12 small capsules carried by a Cygnus cargo spacecraft to collect re-entry data on heat-shield materials.
Source review period: 2026-10
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NASA’s KREPE-3 experiment uses small capsules to test thermal-protection technologies during a cargo spacecraft’s return. When Cygnus XL departed the station, it carried 12 capsules alongside waste; the capsules are designed to measure experimental materials during atmospheric re-entry.
Each capsule contains sensors for temperature, pressure, motion, magnetic field and light. As the spacecraft follows its planned atmospheric breakup, the capsules are to eject and relay data by satellite. Tests include a 3D-printed heat shield, flexible stitched carbon-and-phenolic fiber layers, and combined designs; the mission was still to collect the flight data after the announcement.
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| 12 | 12 small capsules carried by Cygnus XL; re-entry measurements were pending at announcement. |
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