Mechanical design of a deployable morphing aeroshell for 12U CubeSat atmospheric reentry

There is a wide application spectrum of deployable aeroshells for de-orbit and re-entry of space vehiclesby using flexible heat shields. By expanding to a larger diameter prior to entry in order to increase drag,such a technology has shown to provide higher entry performance suitable for Earth or a variety ofplanetary high-speed entries that require high temperature thermal protection systems materials. Also,innovative shape-changing mechanisms exist in the literature for controlled re-entry and safe recoveryof CubeSat class systems to recover payloads and data from LEO at low cost for post flight inspectionsand experimentations. Shape morphing during atmospheric entry could enable trajectory control byproviding enhanced flight manoeuvrability and high-precision landing. This paper presents a CubeSatdesign concept that incorporates a mechanically deployable re-entry aeroshell within the standard 12Uform factor by investigating aerodynamics and heating of a flexible thermal protection system havingshape-changing capabilities. Focus is given to the design of the deployment system through structuralsimulations. The deployable surface can be modulated by a single actuator in order to modulate the lift-to-drag ratio for guided entry. Additionally, once deployed, the system can activate eight small movableaerodynamic flaps that can be individually morphed via a SMA-based actuation to control the trajectoryand target the entry vehicle into the desired area for landing. This paper is framed within a joint researchproject for scientific and technological cooperation between Italy and Brazil in the field of space science,co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and byCONFAP through the involved Brazilian State Funding Agencies (FAPs).