The Thermal Protection System (TPS) is one of the essential parts for visualizing the aerothermodynamic effect for a hypersonic moving body, i.e., M > 5. This detailed review paper deals with discussing the importance of aerothermodynamic effects, presents an overview of TPS, and highlights the key points on the influence of aerodynamic performance. The incorporation of TPS materials alters surface roughness, vehicle contour, mass distribution, and structural stiffness, thereby affecting drag, lift-to-drag ratio, boundary layer transition, and overall flight efficiency. The review aims to provide a cohesive understanding of the interdependence between aerothermodynamics, TPS material behavior, and aerodynamic performance, thereby supporting advanced design strategies for next-generation hypersonic space transportation systems.
Rajput et al. (Sun,) studied this question.