Review of In Situ Thermal Measurement Techniques for Atmospheric Reentry

Orbital launch frequencies are projected to increase significantly in the next decade to meet the growing demand for commercial satellite services, sovereign defense capabilities, and environmental monitoring data. Launch providers have reintroduced reusable launch systems (RLVs) to minimize costs, turnaround time, and environmental impacts. Thus, efficient and economical methods to assess postflight performance and future usability after encountering the extreme aerothermal environment through reentry are critical. The field of postflight thermal analysis lacks a comprehensive systematic review of in situ thermal measurement methodologies, presenting a crucial knowledge gap in aerospace and thermal engineering research. This review addresses this need by providing a comprehensive examination of existing in situ thermal measurement techniques against a list of criteria, offering researchers and engineers a structured framework for method selection and comparative analysis. Through a systematic synthesis of current literature, we evaluate five thermal measurement methods, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and contextual applicability.