SpaceX's Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission launched from Cape Canaveral on April 22, 2025. Alongside the normal satellite payload, a capsule from a German space start-up, Phoenix 1, was also aboard. This was ATMOS Space GmbH's inaugural payload and the first orbital test of its inflatable aerodynamic de... Read more
This technology could potentially aid in the recovery of space debris, thereby reducing its environmental impact during reentry.
A European space cargo company recently completed a successful test flight using an inflatable heat shield.
NASA is working on an inflatable heat shield that has the potential to revolutionize atmospheric reentry.