Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID)
NASA’s LOFTID is demonstrating a cross-cutting aeroshell — a type of heat shield — for atmospheric re-entry.
Mission Type
Partner
Launch
Landing
Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) Overview
The Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) is demonstrating a cross-cutting aeroshell — a type of heat…
Read the Story
LOFTID News
A little more than a year ago, a NASA flight test article came screaming back from space at more than…
NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space…
NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, launched on Nov. 10, 2022, to demonstrate inflatable heat…
NASA will host a media briefing on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. EST to share early results from the…
NASA successfully launched the third in a series of polar-orbiting weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…
Technology developed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, will fly on the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of…
NASA Successfully Tests LOFTID Inflatable Heat Shield
LOFTID launched to demonstrate inflatable heat shield technology. After liftoff on an Atlas V rocket, LOFTID inflated and deployed in space. After being released by the rocket’s upper stage, the heat shield re-entered Earth's atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The team recovered the LOFTID aeroshell and early indications show the demonstration was successful.
Learn More
LOFTID Fact Sheet
The LOFTID demonstration is poised to revolutionize the way NASA and industry deliver payloads to planetary destinations with atmospheres.
The Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), dedicated to the memory of Bernard Kutter, program manager, is a partnership between NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to demonstrate an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator, or aeroshell, technology that could one day help land humans on Mars.
Read the Fact Sheet
LOFTID Animation
Animation of mission highlights for the upcoming launch of NASA’s cutting-edge entry, descent and landing technology: Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID).
Watch the Video
LOFTID Launch
ULA Atlas V rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California November 10, 2023.
NASA’s rideshare technology demonstration, NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), will descend back to Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean.
Read More
Contact
To learn more, please reach out to Jimi Russell at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. at (216) 704-2412 or via email.
Email Jimi Russell about Contact
