One important variation of the typical ATV mission is the Advanced Re-entry Vehicle (ARV). The ARV configuration will consist of a large cargo capsule capable of bringing back on Earth hundreds of kilograms of cargo and valuable experiment results. ARV would be able to dock to the US side of the ISS that has larger docking ports and would make possible the transfer of complete payload racks.
Atmospheric re-entry is not a new challenge for ESA engineers. Past programs – like the Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator – and future programs – like the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) – will help validate models used for the simulation of the re-entry phase and also provide a solid base in designing materials for the thermal protection system.
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