Session
Session III: Science Mission Payloads - Research & Academia
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
The Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) is a small flight capsule with dimensions of 11 by 8.5 inches and a sphere-cone geometry. KRUPS aims to serve as a cost-effective testbed for hypersonic atmospheric entry experiments, collecting thermal response and flight data during re-entry and testing novel thermal protection systems (TPS). The forebody of the capsule is fitted with an instrumented TPS containing thermocouples and pressure ports. Furthermore, the instrumentation suite contains a high-g accelerometer, a GPS, an IMU, and a spectrometer.
The KRUPS project started in 2013. Since then, the capsule has flown five sounding rocket missions, a high-altitude balloon mission, and two orbital flights. The first orbital flight, Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE) 1, happened in 2021. Three capsules flew to the International Space Station aboard the Cygnus resupply vehicle. After a few months, Cygnus re-entered Earth and broke up because of high aerodynamic heating, releasing the capsules into the atmosphere. A total of 20 data packets were collected and transmitted by the capsules, deeming the mission successful. A second orbital flight named KREPE-2 took place in 2024. KREPE-2 represented a substantial leap from KREPE-1 with many advancements, including a much larger instrumentation suite and more capsules being flown. The five KRUPS capsules from the KREPE-2 mission transmitted 34 data packets containing data from all six sensors.
Following the success of the last KREPE missions, the KRUPS team has begun developing a new iteration named KREPE-3. The KREPE-3 mission aims to fly twelve different capsules. Nine capsules will have the regular KRUPS geometry, whereas the other three will explore different shapes. The first capsule with a different shape will be a prototype that involves an expandable forebody for deceleration in its expanded form. The second will have a subscale version of the DragonFly geometry. The third will have a slender body shape. Many different TPS materials will be used, including the LI2200 material, four experimental TPS, a 3D printed TPS, and six carbon-based TPS.
Additionally, better communication methods are being developed. The KREPE-3 mission will include mesh communication between the capsules, sharing data to increase the amount of relevant data transmitted via the Iridium network. Each capsule will have a Wi-Fi module for large data transmission at close range and a LoRa radio module with a moderate transmission bandwidth for longer distances. The mesh communication method will ensure that data from a capsule can be transmitted even if it fails to establish communication through the Iridium satellites.
The KREPE-3 mission is scheduled to be part of the Cygnus NG-24 resupply mission in early 2026, with re-entry planned for late summer 2026. The success of KREPE-3 will elevate KRUPS from an established testbed for hypersonic entry experiments to an efficient platform for testing novel materials and concepts while offering a thorough dataset for validation and analysis.
Document Type
Event
Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment-3: The Third Hypersonic Flight of the KRUPS Capsules
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
The Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) is a small flight capsule with dimensions of 11 by 8.5 inches and a sphere-cone geometry. KRUPS aims to serve as a cost-effective testbed for hypersonic atmospheric entry experiments, collecting thermal response and flight data during re-entry and testing novel thermal protection systems (TPS). The forebody of the capsule is fitted with an instrumented TPS containing thermocouples and pressure ports. Furthermore, the instrumentation suite contains a high-g accelerometer, a GPS, an IMU, and a spectrometer.
The KRUPS project started in 2013. Since then, the capsule has flown five sounding rocket missions, a high-altitude balloon mission, and two orbital flights. The first orbital flight, Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE) 1, happened in 2021. Three capsules flew to the International Space Station aboard the Cygnus resupply vehicle. After a few months, Cygnus re-entered Earth and broke up because of high aerodynamic heating, releasing the capsules into the atmosphere. A total of 20 data packets were collected and transmitted by the capsules, deeming the mission successful. A second orbital flight named KREPE-2 took place in 2024. KREPE-2 represented a substantial leap from KREPE-1 with many advancements, including a much larger instrumentation suite and more capsules being flown. The five KRUPS capsules from the KREPE-2 mission transmitted 34 data packets containing data from all six sensors.
Following the success of the last KREPE missions, the KRUPS team has begun developing a new iteration named KREPE-3. The KREPE-3 mission aims to fly twelve different capsules. Nine capsules will have the regular KRUPS geometry, whereas the other three will explore different shapes. The first capsule with a different shape will be a prototype that involves an expandable forebody for deceleration in its expanded form. The second will have a subscale version of the DragonFly geometry. The third will have a slender body shape. Many different TPS materials will be used, including the LI2200 material, four experimental TPS, a 3D printed TPS, and six carbon-based TPS.
Additionally, better communication methods are being developed. The KREPE-3 mission will include mesh communication between the capsules, sharing data to increase the amount of relevant data transmitted via the Iridium network. Each capsule will have a Wi-Fi module for large data transmission at close range and a LoRa radio module with a moderate transmission bandwidth for longer distances. The mesh communication method will ensure that data from a capsule can be transmitted even if it fails to establish communication through the Iridium satellites.
The KREPE-3 mission is scheduled to be part of the Cygnus NG-24 resupply mission in early 2026, with re-entry planned for late summer 2026. The success of KREPE-3 will elevate KRUPS from an established testbed for hypersonic entry experiments to an efficient platform for testing novel materials and concepts while offering a thorough dataset for validation and analysis.
