The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, known as the ARD, was an unmanned European Space Agency capsule built to prove reentry technology. It looked like a 70 per cent scale Apollo capsule, measured 2.8 metres across and weighed 2.8 tonnes at atmospheric interface, and Aérospatiale was the prime contractor for its development and construction. It flew once. Launched on the third Ariane 5 on 21 October 1998, it reached 830 km, made a guided suborbital reentry and splashed down in the Pacific within 4.9 km of its target after one hour and 41 minutes, and was recovered about five hours later. Its heat shield lost only 0.5 mm, and the flight met every programme requirement. It was the first guided suborbital reentry vehicle made, launched and recovered by Europe, and it is now a public exhibit at ESTEC in Noordwijk.
Facts
Engine Class EngineSeven hydrazine thrusters, 400 N each 1 Connections
Exemplifies
Source Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator (Wikipedia)
Operational history
On 21 October 1998, the ARD was launched upon the third flight of the Ariane 5 expendable launch system.
Operational history, status
the sole ARD vehicle itself has been preserved and has become a publicly-accessible exhibit at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, Netherlands
Design
These rocket thrusters, each typically generating 400-N of thrust
Design, engine
an assortment of seven hydrazine thrusters
Development
The prime contractor selected to perform the ARD's development and construction was French aerospace company Aérospatiale
Exemplifies: Suborbital Spaceflight, Lead
was a European Space Agency (ESA) suborbital reentry vehicle
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