Array-based seismic measurements of OSIRIS-REx's re-entry

The return home of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in September 2023 marked only the fifth time that an artificial object entered the Earth's atmosphere at interplanetary velocities. Although rare, such events serve as valuable analogues for natural meteoroid re-entries; enabling study of hypersonic dynamics, shockwave generation, and acoustic-to-seismic coupling. Here, we report on the signatures recorded by a dense (100-m scale) 11-station array located almost directly underneath the capsule's point of peak atmospheric heating in northern Nevada. Seismic data are presented which allow inferences to be made about the shape of the shockwave's footprint on the surface, the capsule's trajectory, and its flight parameters.