Intermediate Experimental Vehicle
| IXV | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Experimental spacecraft |
| Country: |
 ESA
|
| Mission dates | |
| Dimensions: | 2000 kg |
| Begin: | February 11, 2015 |
| Starting place: | Center Spatial Guyanais , ELV |
| Launcher: | Vega VV-04 |
| Landing place: | Pacific 3 ° N / 123 ° W |
| Flight duration: | approx. 100 min |
| Status: | successfully |
| Orbit data | |
| Apogee height : | 412 km |
The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (own spelling Intermediate Experimental Vehicle , also briefly IXV called) is an unmanned and automatic spacecraft of ESA to explore the reentry phase into Earth's atmosphere as well as a test platform for required for techniques which may be used in future reusable space shuttles. The IXV is part of the ESA Future Launchers Preparatory Program ( FLPP for short ) and is used to develop new launch systems ( Next Generation Launcher , NGL for short ).
aims
The goals of the project are the conception, development, production and testing of an independent European, aerodynamically controlled re-entry system - both on the ground and in flight - whereby the techniques for a heat shield are primarily to be researched. Furthermore, this system should be a cost-effective alternative to the previous NASA shuttles . Since the experiments take place unmanned, the risks in the event of a dangerous incident are minimized so that no human life is endangered. Early planning included a full orbit and a landing with airbags on the North European Aerospace Test Range near Kiruna in Sweden, but this was later discarded.
The main contractor is the Franco-Italian space company Thales Alenia Space .
A previous project was the ARD space capsule , which was successfully launched on October 21, 1998.
Mission history
On June 19, 2013, a full-size test vehicle was used for a successful parachute drop test with subsequent ditching in the Mediterranean.
In June 2014 the IXV arrived at the ESTEC Technical Center in Noordwijk, where it was subjected to a rigorous test program to prove its suitability for flight with a Vega rocket. The launch, originally planned for November 2014, was postponed due to Vega's unusual trajectory and the not yet available data.
On February 11, 2015, the European launch vehicle Vega brought the IXV, which weighed around 2 tons and was designed as a support hull , into a suborbital orbit with a peak height of 412 km. This simulated re-entry from low orbit (LEO) at around 27,000 km / h. After re-entry, the missile landed on parachutes safely west of the Galapagos Islands over the Pacific and was recovered at ESTEC for in-depth investigations.
Web links
- IXV on the ESA website (English)
- Contribution of the DLF to the successful flight on February 11, 2015
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c ESA: IXV: 100 minutes of critical teamwork. February 3, 2015, accessed February 11, 2015 .
- ^ A b c d Werner Pluta: IXV: Europeans want to test reusable space shuttle. Golem.de, June 22, 2011, accessed January 20, 2014 .
- ↑ a b News: Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle - new video (English) - Article at ESA , October 9, 2008
- ↑ Giorgio Tumino and Yves Gerard: IXV: the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle. (PDF) In: ESA Bulletin 128. ESA, November 2006, pp. 62–67 , accessed on February 11, 2015 (English).
- ^ ESA: ESA and Thales Alenia Space establish agreement for development of Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV). June 16, 2009, accessed January 20, 2014 .
- ^ Günther Glatzel: Successful drop test of the IXV. Raumfahrer.net, June 21, 2013, accessed January 20, 2014 .
- ^ ESA: Unboxing IXV. July 2, 2014, accessed on July 2, 2014 (English): "The moment when ESA's IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is removed from its protective container, safely inside the cleanroom environment of the Agency's Technical Center."
- ^ IXV Start postponed
- ^ IXV floating and waiting for recovery esa.int
- ^ ESA: Intermediate Experimental Vehicle. (PDF; 635 kB) 2013, accessed on February 11, 2015 (English).