"ESA's daring descent: Exploring the depths of an ice giant's atmosphere"

European researchers have successfully recreated the atmospheric compositions of Uranus and Neptune in order to simulate the flight of proposed atmospheric probes. The tests, conducted in the UK and Germany, achieved speeds of up to 19 km/s, but further work is needed to reach the actual velocities that probes would attain. Both NASA and ESA are considering future missions to these gas giants, and designing a high-performance thermal protection system is a key challenge due to the high pressures and temperatures involved. The project is a joint effort supported by the ESA's General Support Technology Programme.