NASA Successfully Tests Flawless Heat Shield Demo
NASA's Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) successfully demonstrated an inflatable heat shield, known as a Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) aeroshell. This technology could enable larger spacecraft to safely descend through the atmospheres of celestial bodies like Mars, Venus, and Saturn's moon, Titan. The LOFTID mission was deemed highly successful, with the heat shield appearing pristine upon recovery. NASA plans to partner with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to develop a larger HIAD aeroshell for recovering ULA's Vulcan engines from low Earth orbit.