Amorim Cork Solutions is supplying its P50 cork-based thermal protection material for the European Space Agency's DRACO mission. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in 2027 to study how satellites disintegrate during atmospheric reentry.
The mission features a 40 cm survival capsule equipped with a P50 heat shield. This capsule is designed to withstand extreme thermal conditions to preserve and transmit data collected by 200 sensors and four cameras during the breakup process.
The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics selected the P50 material based on a 15-year collaboration with Amorim. The institute has already validated the thermal protection system by testing a half-scale version of the capsule in plasma flows.
DRACO aims to improve reentry models and support the ESA's Design for Demise initiative. The findings will contribute to the agency's goal of significantly reducing orbital debris by 2030.
