{"id":23797,"date":"2025-06-17T22:12:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/how-atmos-space-cargo-is-shaping-europes-spaceflight-future-through-reentry-capsules\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T22:12:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:12:02","slug":"how-atmos-space-cargo-is-shaping-europes-spaceflight-future-through-reentry-capsules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/how-atmos-space-cargo-is-shaping-europes-spaceflight-future-through-reentry-capsules\/","title":{"rendered":"How ATMOS Space Cargo is shaping Europe\u2019s spaceflight future through reentry capsules"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As space-based research and manufacturing ramp up, a market is emerging for returning payloads to Earth affordably and reliably. European startup ATMOS Space Cargo is meeting that need with a new generation of reentry vehicles built around an inflatable heat shield.<\/p>\n<p>Already flight-tested, the novel system positions Europe as a serious contender in the field of orbital logistics. NSF spoke to Sebastian Klaus, the founder &amp; CEO of ATMOS Space Cargo, about surviving reentry and why Europe\u2019s next big space breakthrough might be on the way back down \u2014 not up.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The technology builds upon NASA\u2019s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), which successfully demonstrated its technology in November 2022. The mission aimed to test a new type of aeroshell, designed to slow down spacecraft during atmospheric entry by utilizing its large surface area to generate drag. LOFID was itself part of the agency\u2019s Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) project, which flew a series of suborbital tests starting in 2009.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Returning to Earth - ATMOS Space Cargo - NSF Live: Europe's Future in Space\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sFls6q_sDPU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The project sought to develop lighter and more compact inflatable heat shields that might be used for lunar cargo return or for landing heavy payloads on Mars, in addition to the more immediate benefits of low-cost Earth return missions. Having proven that these inflatable shields could deploy and maintain their shape, the tests went on to validate their structural integrity during hypersonic reentry and prove that the concept could survive real-world atmospheric heating and deceleration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have designed our vehicle pretty much based on where NASA took off, and we added some special details in the inflation technology,\u201d Klaus explains. \u201cIt builds upon decades of atmospheric reentry research, but is the most advanced technology that is out there right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The concept involves extracting high-energy air from the boundary layer between the vehicle\u2019s heat shield and the surrounding shock layer that is formed in front of it. This captured flow is then used to pressurize and inflate the vehicle. It\u2019s a novel and somewhat counterintuitive approach, exposing the structure to hot plasma, controlling and repurposing the hot boundary layer air as a functional asset.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107111\" class=\"wp-image-107111 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-LOFTID-demonstrator-is-recovered-on-the-deck-of-the-recovery-ship-Credit-NASA.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"985\" height=\"735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-LOFTID-demonstrator-is-recovered-on-the-deck-of-the-recovery-ship-Credit-NASA.webp 985w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-LOFTID-demonstrator-is-recovered-on-the-deck-of-the-recovery-ship-Credit-NASA-350x261.webp 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-LOFTID-demonstrator-is-recovered-on-the-deck-of-the-recovery-ship-Credit-NASA-469x350.webp 469w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-LOFTID-demonstrator-is-recovered-on-the-deck-of-the-recovery-ship-Credit-NASA-768x573.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107111\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The LOFTID demonstrator is recovered on the deck of the recovery ship. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix 1<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s debut Phoenix 1 recently flew on SpaceX\u2019s Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission on April 21 \u2014 a mid-inclination mission to a 500 km low-Earth orbit (LEO). Phoenix 1 was built quickly as a minimum viable product (MVP) on a limited budget to gather initial flight data.<\/p>\n<p>The capsule remained attached to Falcon 9\u2019s upper stage while the other payloads were deployed. Phoenix 1 finally separated around 90 minutes into the mission over Los Angeles, following the upper stage\u2019s deorbit maneuver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpaceX did us a great favor by giving us a little kick to go into the atmosphere,\u201d Klaus emphasizes, \u201cwhich meant we didn\u2019t have to bring our own propulsion.\u201d This simplified the capsule\u2019s initial design and also removed the risk of any issue with onboard propulsion, potentially leaving the capsule in orbit.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107112\" class=\"wp-image-107112 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1308\" height=\"770\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit.webp 1308w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit-350x206.webp 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit-595x350.webp 595w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit-768x452.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/atmos-space-cargo-first-re-rentry-mission-completed-5-phoenix-in-orbit-1170x689.webp 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107112\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Onboard view of Phoenix 1 before it was deployed during the Bandwagon-3 mission. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>Around 30 minutes later, Phoenix 1 began its reentry and ultimately reached a splashdown in the South Atlantic Ocean. The original plan was for Phoenix to instead reenter east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, and ATMOS had spent six months planning the recovery of the capsule using ships.<\/p>\n<p>The alteration changed the splashdown location enough to scrap those months of recovery preparations and left little time to make new plans. The news dropped on a Friday, and ATMOS immediately scrambled its guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) team, which worked through the weekend. By Sunday evening, they had a solution, including the identification of different ground stations they could use during Phoenix 1\u2019s descent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn space terms, five weeks is nothing, so we literally put an antenna in the jungle in Brazil, worked with a ground station in Ecuador, and had a lot of amateurs in the community supporting us.\u201d These amateur ground stations picked up a lot of UHF data, which helped ATMOS collect over 135,000 telemetry points along the track.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107113\" class=\"wp-image-107113 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-350x148.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-630x266.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-768x324.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-1920x810.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/render-of-phoenix-in-orbit-Atmos-1170x494.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Render of Phoenix 1 in orbit. (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>The new landing location, around 2,000 km off the coast of Brazil, was beyond the range of the chartered aircraft, which had hoped to capture imagery and data as Phoenix completed its descent. \u201cThe last phase of the reentry was blacked out,\u201d Klaus notes, \u201cwe didn\u2019t have data all the way to splashdown because it was just out of the range of ground stations. We rented a little single-engine propeller plane with a Starlink terminal under the windshield of the cockpit. We had a live connection to our mission control center here in Europe. It was wild. We had to improvise a bit!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Four payloads onboard also returned data during this demonstration \u2014 a radiation monitor from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as well as payloads for the United Kingdom\u2019s Frontier Space and Japan\u2019s IDDK.<\/p>\n<p>Designing for reusability<\/p>\n<p>Whereas traditional reentry capsules commonly separate from a service module, which contains propulsion, solar panels, and tanks, Phoenix is intended to be fully reusable. \u201cOur goal is to bring everything back,\u201d says Klaus, noting that Phoenix 2 will return with its own propulsion system, solar panels, avionics, and communications when it flies next summer. This is an economic decision as much as a sustainable one, and ATMOS is approaching this with realistic expectations. \u201cWe\u2019ve all seen with SpaceX over and over again how difficult it is to bring something back from orbital velocities and get it to be reusable,\u201d he adds, \u201cbut that\u2019s what we\u2019re aiming for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107114\" class=\"wp-image-107114 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1956\" height=\"1097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos.png 1956w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos-350x196.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos-624x350.png 624w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos-1920x1077.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-1-with-its-inflatable-heatshield-Credit-Atmos-1170x656.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1956px) 100vw, 1956px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107114\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Render of Phoenix 1 with its inflatable heatshield. (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>ATMOS draws its name from its primary focus on returning payloads through the atmosphere and back to Earth. The company grew quickly following the summer of 2023 after receiving a round of seed funding. Studying NASA\u2019s International Space Station (ISS) Utilization Statistics document, it became clear that biomedical research is the predominant type of research conducted aboard the ISS and would be a promising downmass market. Examples include protein crystallisation, 3D printing of human tissue, and research into cancers and the aging process.<\/p>\n<p>The team set out to build a vehicle that is designed around the standard-sized payloads used on the ISS, known as \u201cmid-deck lockers.\u201d \u201cWe said, if we build a vehicle that has the same conditions as the ISS, in terms of pressurized atmosphere, providing power and data, and if we can make that in a way where it\u2019s completely automated, or remotely controlled, then, probably, we will be able to find customers,\u201d Klaus explained. The design was set to accommodate three of these lockers, providing a 100 kg payload capacity and 100 watts of power.<\/p>\n<p>With the principles established, the team began to construct its first prototype. \u201cWe always said it\u2019s going to be an inflatable heat shield,\u201d says Klaus. \u201cIt was quite the project to do in less than two years! One of the things that is unique about this area of Europe is that there are a lot of partners and suppliers that you do not necessarily have in all places in the US, for example.\u201d With a strong automotive industry in Germany that was already familiar with hardware-in-the-loop testing, ATMOS was able to leverage local resources to develop its project on a budget.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107115\" class=\"wp-image-107115 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2122\" height=\"1185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos.png 2122w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos-350x195.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos-627x350.png 627w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos-1920x1072.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-during-reentry-Credit-Atmos-1170x653.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2122px) 100vw, 2122px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107115\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Render of Phoenix during reentry. (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>The finished design for Phoenix 1 had a total mass of 250 kg and measured 1.5 m in diameter and 1.2 m in length, specifically designed to fit into an XL slot on SpaceX\u2019s Transporter and Bandwagon rideshare missions.<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix 2<\/p>\n<p>The next Phoenix to launch will carry its own propulsion system, using thrusters from European startup ISP Tech. \u201cThe good thing about them is they are green propulsion; ethane and nitrous oxide,\u201d Klaus noted. The more standard choice of Hydrazine used in thrusters is toxic, he points out, and requires the support crew to wear protective suits both when fuelling or returning to a landed vehicle, such as Boeing\u2019s X-37B, due to the risk of residue in the thrusters. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to have that on your vehicle, especially if it\u2019s a reusable vehicle that you want to recover and then relaunch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Europe\u2019s Future In Space Forum<\/li>\n<li>Bandwagon-3 Mission Forum<\/li>\n<li>NSF Store<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These small thrusters provide an impressive 290 seconds of specific impulse. Six of these will be used for pitch and yaw control, while smaller thrusters will provide roll control, collectively enabling Phoenix to control its reentry trajectory when deorbiting and to perform any necessary station-keeping.<\/p>\n<p>The next flight will remain in orbit for two to four weeks before decelerating by 150 m\/s before re-entry. \u201cThe plan for the next flight is to fly to Santa Maria. There\u2019s an island in the Atlantic Ocean that belongs to Portugal, so it will be the first reentry towards European territory!\u201d Klaus said. The capsule will be filled to capacity with 100 kg of payload. There remains a small amount of risk, as they have yet to receive data all the way to splashdown. However, ATMOS is fully confident in the orbital phase of the mission, where most of the data will actually be generated.<\/p>\n<p>The company is equally confident in the accuracy of the capsule\u2019s landing, which, in simulations, achieved a precision of less than 100 m from the target. \u201cThat\u2019s something you cannot even achieve right now with, say, a Dragon because these classic vehicles pop parachutes at an altitude of a few kilometers and from there just drift down with the wind. We can steer all the way until we touch the water, and that enables us to land very precisely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107116\" class=\"wp-image-107116 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2122\" height=\"1192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos.png 2122w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos-350x197.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos-623x350.png 623w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos-1920x1079.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-the-Phoenix-control-surfaces-Credit-Atmos-1170x657.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2122px) 100vw, 2122px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107116\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Render of the Phoenix control surfaces (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>The donut design of the vehicle is purposely asymmetric, with the vehicle\u2019s center of mass offset to one side. \u201cThat makes the vehicle fly at an angle of attack that creates a lift vector,\u201d Klaus explains. By adjusting the direction of this lift, known as a bank angle maneuver, the vehicle can curve left, right, up, or down as it reenters the atmosphere. Two aerodynamic surfaces control this, along with some small roll control thrusters located at the back of the capsule. \u201cThe cool thing about our technology is we can use it all the way from orbit, through the entry interface point where we feel the atmosphere for the first time, all the way to a splashdown in the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ATMOS has few competitors, of which Varda Space and Inversion Space both apply parachutes for the final descent of their return capsules. Phoenix doesn\u2019t require parachutes due to its large surface area and low mass, allowing its shape to essentially act as a parachute. The ballistic coefficient, as it\u2019s called, is lower than NASA\u2019s LOFTID demonstrator. \u201cYou\u2019re flying very slow,\u201d explains Klaus. \u201cAt splashdown, you have less than 15 meters per second of terminal velocity, and that\u2019s the equivalent of jumping from a five or 10-meter stair into a pool. That\u2019s what keeps the system very simple, and in spaceflight, simplicity is king. The less systems you have, the less that can fail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, ATMOS is comfortable with ocean landings, where the shocks of impact are much lower than on land. Seawater corrosion remains a challenge that can affect systems and reusability, but SpaceX has proven this to be solvable with its Dragon capsules.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107117\" class=\"wp-image-107117 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1967\" height=\"1075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos.png 1967w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos-350x191.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos-630x344.png 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos-1920x1049.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Render-of-Phoenix-as-it-separates-from-the-upper-stage-Credit-Atmos-1170x639.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1967px) 100vw, 1967px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107117\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Render of Phoenix as it is deployed into orbit. (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>ATMOS intends to launch the enhanced Phoenix 2 vehicle next summer, with another capsule following either late that same year or in early 2027. Launches will then begin to ramp up to three or four annually, building up to monthly flights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe goal is that, eventually, we will be able to enable a rideshare service from space back down [to Earth],\u201d notes Klaus. \u201cWhat you\u2019re getting with Transporter or Bandwagon for the way up, we want to enable that for the way down. If you have a mid-deck locker or a cubesat-sized payload, maybe a University payload, we want to be able to send that on a regular basis to space and back again. I think that\u2019s going to make a huge difference, especially for the research community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The vehicle is designed to be launcher-agnostic and is compatible with a standard 24-inch ESPA separation ring \u2014 the structural adaptor used to carry and deploy secondary payloads alongside a primary satellite. This would allow Phoenix to launch on New Glenn, Ariane 6, and Vega, or aboard smaller rockets like Electron and Spectrum. \u201cRight now, SpaceX is the most reliable launcher and the most cost-efficient launcher, so I think there\u2019s a high chance we might be flying with SpaceX on the next mission,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<p>Future use-cases<\/p>\n<p>For that mission, Atmos has been working with the Portuguese space agency to acquire the necessary reentry license in time for its second mission. \u201cWe\u2019re very much looking forward to bringing that vehicle back to European soil,\u201d Klaus adds. Looking further into the future, ATMOS is closely monitoring progress on the various commercial space stations that will replace the ISS and, inevitably, host more research customers with payloads to return to Earth.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107118\" class=\"wp-image-107118 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2135\" height=\"1195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15.png 2135w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15-350x196.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15-625x350.png 625w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15-1920x1075.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phoenix-prototype-drop-testing-human-for-scale-Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-20.56.15-1170x655.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2135px) 100vw, 2135px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-107118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phoenix prototype prepares for drop testing. (Credit: ATMOS Space Cargo)<\/p>\n<p>A Phoenix 3 is already in the design stage, which would increase payload capacity to around 1,000 kg. This can be scaled even further, Klaus points out, until they reach a calculated limit of around 25,000 kg. At this point, the square-cubic rule dictates that the combined mass of the gas and inflation system would become prohibitively heavy in comparison to the heat shield. Nonetheless, he notes, \u201c25 tons means a fully filled shipping container is something we could bring back from space with this technology, so it opens a lot of possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company is currently exploring rapid response and point-to-point applications for the military through a partnership with ARX Robotics. The technology may even be applied to returning smaller rocket upper stages in the future, and has since been contracted by the European Commission for its Inflatable Concept Aeroshell for the Reuse of Upper Stages (ICARUS) project. Klaus stresses that returning upper stages is especially difficult, as SpaceX\u2019s Starship has proven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the use-cases we\u2019re looking at is the Vega upper stage. It\u2019s a scalable technology, so you might as well use it to bring back something like an Ariane 6 upper stage, and that\u2019s what inflatable heat shields are really designed for \u2014 to slow you down from orbital velocities,\u201d Klaus explained.<\/p>\n<p>The ICARUS project is aiming for a suborbital demonstration in around two years, after which it would hopefully move onto an orbital test. Klaus can see similar potential for the technology in returning satellites for servicing and reuse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are great companies out there [such as] Astroscale and Clearspace already working on the capability to grab a satellite in space and then drag it into the atmosphere. Now, if you combine that technology with ours, that\u2019s a really cool capability we haven\u2019t had since the Space Shuttle days!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: A render of the Phoenix craft reentering Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Credit: Atmos Space Cargo)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As space-based research and manufacturing ramp up, a market is emerging for returning payloads to Earth affordably and reliably. European startup ATMOS Space Cargo is meeting that need with a new generation of reentry vehicles built around an inflatable heat shield. Already flight-tested, the novel system positions Europe as a serious contender in the field [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1133,8066,7988,8095,8096,2651,4665,1136,423,311],"class_list":["post-23797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-atmos-space-cargo","tag-atmosphere","tag-bandwagon","tag-capsule","tag-hiad","tag-loftid","tag-phoenix","tag-phoenix-1","tag-reentry","tag-reusability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23797"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23797\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}