Advanced European Re-Entry System Based on Inflatable Heat Shields EFESTO project overview: system and mission design and technology roadmap

European Union H2020 EFESTO project is coordinated by DEIMOS Space with the end goals of improving the European TRL of Inflatable Heat Shields for re-entry vehicles from 3 to 4/5 and pave the way to In-Orbit Demonstration that can further raise the TRL to 6. This paper presents the project objectives and provides a general overview of the latest advancements, promoting the relevance of the EFESTO know-how in the frame of a European re-entry technology roadmap. The system, aerodynamic and mission design of two Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator use case scenarios, the AVUM VEGA stage recovery and a high-mass Mars exploration EDL mission, have been selected for deriving requirements and constraints to be injected in the EFESTO ground testing phase. The focus of this phase was on the aerothermal verification of the Flexible-Thermal Protection System in the DLR Arcjet facility and the analysis of the mechanical properties of the Inflatable Structure exploiting a manufactured 1:2 demonstrator, both representing key aspects of this peculiar and innovative technology.