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Completed TRL 6 (started at 4, targeting 6)
Airborne Systems provides parachute recovery systems for a wide range of Space applications and is currently providing the recovery system for the NASA Orion space capsule and several commercial space companies. There is a growing desire for recovery systems that provide extended crossrange capability and are steerable to enable precision landing of payloads. Airborne Systems will conduct high altitude drop tests of a payload consisting of a ram-air parachute system and an advanced guidance system to demonstrate system performance at higher altitudes than previously attempted.
Paper (Apr 2015): Guided Parafoil High Altitude Research (GPHAR) Flight at 57,122 ft
Problem Statement
The current state of the art for ram-air parachute systems enables deployments in the 20,000 ft range enabling up to 80,000 ft of crossrange. This technology will be extend deployments up to 50,000 ft and beyond, thereby nearly tripling the crossrange capability. This is beneficial for a number of applications including precision recovery of cargo and manned space capsules, spent boosters, and landing of reusable launch vehicles. For a reusable launch vehicle recovery, demonstrating the ability to deploy a high glide ratio ram-air parachute at higher altitudes enables commensurate increases in crossrange potentially further reducing the need to expend propellant to land precisely within the designated landing site.
Technology Maturation
This project utilizes mature existing technologies and is proposing to adapt these for applications in high altitude environments. There are three subject technologies to be advanced in this project; the ram-air parachute, the airborne guidance unit and associated parachute guidance and control algorithms. These components are integrated into a unique system and operated in a high altitude (55,000ft) environmental condition. The overall system is at a TRL 4.
The guided parafoil system will allow for a precision recovery of spent boosters and recovery/landing of reusable launch vehicles. This will benefit the commercial space industry, other government agencies such as the Department of Defense, and future NASA missions.
Future Customers
The resultant data and learning experienced in this test program will be beneficial to NASA, commercial space companies, and the military. The expansion of the controllable flight envelope of these parachutes would provide a game changing capability for a broad range of applications including future NASA interplanetary space missions.
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