On YouTube, Varda Space Industriesa company that aims to become a newspace player with the desire to produce pharmaceutical products in space in space, recently posted a video of its W-2 capsule when it atmospheric. Impressive images that highlight one of the technical challenges to bring back space vehicles back: protecting them and their occupants of extreme heat.
The latest video was posted on March 6, 2025 and therefore presents images dated February 27, 2025 after a new test flight. For those who wish to skip some images to get directly to the hot time of the video, go to 6:40. Otherwise take advantage of the show and admire the superb view captured thanks to the camera on the capsule.
setup_11e5bacf858d13fa1a798608e945b59f.autoplay = true ; jQuery("#player_img_11e5bacf858d13fa1a798608e945b59f").click(function(){ jQuery("#player_11e5bacf858d13fa1a798608e945b59f").show(); jQuery(this).hide(); show_jw7_player("player_11e5bacf858d13fa1a798608e945b59f",setup_11e5bacf858d13fa1a798608e945b59f,"https://www.wouldsayso.com/wp-content/themes/reworldmedia", id_pub ,"youtube", {"youtube_id":"XwQ6ib5SkMQ","mediaid":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XwQ6ib5SkMQ","no_top_page":"yes","autoplay":"no","other_videos":[],"right_video":false}); }); });
Thermal shield, an essential spatial exploration
If the images are impressive, they point out to us one thing in particular: the capsule is good despite the extreme heat which is generated by the atmospheric entrance.
And that is not trivial, far from it. When a meteorite enters our atmosphere, it will take the look of a more or less high fireball depending on its size. Sometimes she will disintegrate before touching the surface of the earth, sometimes, she will be able to crash.
In the same way, when a space capsule or any other vehicle makes an atmospheric entrance, it also turns into a fireball, but does not disintegrate. This is due to its thermal shield.
The latter is of paramount importance to preserve the space vehicle, but also the living occupants of the latter or not. Capable of resisting temperatures of several thousand degrees, it is essential in all the spaceships which aim to return to earth.
Without this element, the astronauts of the missions Apollobut also all those who went back and forth in the ISS would all have finished charred during their atmospheric entry.
Source : Varda Space Industries
