Entry Analysis of CYGNUS NG-20

Entry Analysis of CYGNUS NG-20

On the 13th of July 2024, the ISS resupply capsule CYGNUS NG-20 entered the Earth’s atmosphere above the South Pacific for a controlled destructive re-entry, marking the end of the mission. The capsule was equipped with 5 re-entry experiments (KRUPS - Kentucky Re-Entry Universal Payload System) from the University of Kentucky. The re-entry of CYGNUS was observed from an aircraft equipped with four instrument platforms capturing imaging, spectroscopic, and polarization data which were time-synchronized using a GPS signal.
While the initial goal of the mission was to observe the KRUPS capsules after their release from the spacecraft, a delay in in-space operation shifted the trajectory downrange complicating this objective. HEFDiG deployed a new spectroscopic camera system using a transmission grating. This camera is able to detect spectra between 400 nm and 700 nm with a theoretical resolution of 0.4 nm per pixel. Finally, the altitude region of 93 km to 70 km was successfully observed giving insight into the early entry phase before the main break-up and significant fragmentation occurs. During this phase only broadband radiation was detected indicating black-body radiation from aerothermal heating of the spacecraft. Finally the break-up was observe

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