According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Long March 5B carrier rocket carrying a flexible inflatable cargo return module test capsule for the first test verification showed an anomaly during the return process on the 6th, and experts are analyzing the relevant data.
At 1800 hours on the 5th, the Long March 5B carrier rocket ignited into the air and sent the flexible inflatable cargo return module test capsule into space.
This mission will validate the key technology for the orbit re-entry of the inflatable deployable return vehicle (IRV).
In order to achieve agility and low-cost downlink of space materials, the Second Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CSICIC) innovated in 2014 to develop a new space transport vehicle using inflatable deployment technology.
It can significantly reduce the cost of material return while improving the reliability of the space load return process.
When human spacecraft return to the atmosphere, they create high-speed friction with the air, which creates thousands of degrees of heat.
Therefore, the outer layer of the spacecraft is covered with "heat shields", such as the insulation tiles of the space shuttle, or fiberglass composites, which reduce the temperature of the spacecraft by evaporation and heat absorption, thus protecting the people and materials inside.
The essence of the "flexible inflatable cargo return module test module" is the "inflatable heat shield", which is to reduce the speed of the spacecraft entering the atmosphere through the inflatable shell to protect the spacecraft from damage, thereby reducing costs and reuse.
It was tested in the United States in 2012, although it was not subsequently made practical.
In 2014, the Second Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CSICIC) innovatively proposed to develop a new type of space transport vehicle using inflatable deployment technology, which can improve the reliability of the space payload return process and at the same time greatly reduce the cost of material return.
In 2018, China is developing a new type of space cargo transport vehicle with low cost and high load ratio characteristics based on technologies such as space inflatable deployment, flexible heat resistance, and composite materials.
On the basis of this, new composite hull and new environmental control technology will be adopted to form a series of products to support the downstream transportation of space cargo, long-distance material delivery, recovery, and other tasks.
According to the industry, the difficulty with this inflatable casing is how to protect the ship by not breaking in the heat.
The trial was finally conducted for the first time on May 6.
According to the latest news, there was an exception during the return process. But the path of exploration is never smooth, so good luck with your next experiment.
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