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This investigation aims to enhance the simulation of aerothermochemical environments for reentry capsules using first-principles data.

June 14, 2026Acta AstronauticaOpen Access

Aerothermal investigation of an atmospheric reentry capsule using direct simulation Monte Carlo with ab initio rates for internal energy relaxation and chemical kinetics

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This investigation aims to enhance the simulation of aerothermochemical environments for reentry capsules using first-principles data.
Utilized direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for simulations of aerodynamic conditions around the reentry capsule.
Benchmarked against in situ optical emission spectroscopy flight data from the Varda Space Industries W-2 capsule.
Implemented NASA’s High-temperature Aerothermodynamic Radiation Algorithm (HARA) for simulating radiative emissions.
Achieved a 30% improvement in total radiance prediction using DSMC compared to traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods.
Showed better fidelity in simulated flight spectra at 78 km compared to legacy two-temperature thermochemical nonequilibrium models.
Demonstrated that first-principles-informed DSMC yields more accurate predictions for reentry conditions.

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Randomized trial assesses radiative emissions in a reentry vehicle, suggesting advanced simulation techniques improve predictions.

Valentini et al. (2026) studied this question.

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