Kentucky Re-Entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS): Design and Testing for Re-Entry Flight

The Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) team at the University of Kentucky is planning a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in which three capsules will be sent up into orbit on board the NG-16 Cygnus resupply vehicle. After orbit on the ISS, the NG-16 payload will be de-orbited which will cause the three capsules to re-enter the atmosphere. Each capsule will be outfitted with a heat shield. The goal of the mission is to collect thermal data measured by thermocouples placed at the surface of each heat shield. Several tests were conducted to verify the capsules as a whole functioned properly. Additional tests were conducted to ensure various subsystems installed in the capsules functioned properly. The tests were successful and the capsules were qualified to be launched on NG-16 to the ISS.