Point bending an insulated fairing panel

ESA has helped RUAG Space Switzerland to develop new rocket fairings that offer a smoother quieter ride to space.

RUAG manufactures fairings for Europe’s Ariane and Vega launchers and in September 2019 tested a built in noise-reducing micro-perforated insulation layer within the fairing’s sandwich panels achieving noise reduction with no increase in mass or volume, while maintaining performance.