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.
LOFTID News
The Heat is On! NASA’s “Flawless” Heat Shield Demo Passes the Test
A little more than a year ago, a NASA flight test article came screaming back from space at more than…
NASA Partners with American Companies on Key Moon, Exploration Tech
NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space…
LOFTID Inflatable Heat Shield Test A Success, Early Results Show
NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, launched on Nov. 10, 2022, to demonstrate inflatable heat…
NASA to Share First Results of Inflatable Heat Shield Technology Test
NASA will host a media briefing on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. EST to share early results from the…
NASA, ULA Successfully Launch Weather Satellite, Re-entry Tech Demo
NASA successfully launched the third in a series of polar-orbiting weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…
NASA Armstrong Temperature-Measuring Technology to Fly with LOFTID
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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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Contact
To learn more, please reach out to Jimi Russell at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. at (216) 704-2412 or via email.
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