PWK1 Plasma Wind Tunnel Facility at IRS

Through a combined German, British and ESA GSTP funded De-Risk activity, the High Enthalpy Flow Diagnostics Group (HEFDiG) at the University of Stuttgart Institute of Space Systems (IRS), and the University of Oxford hypersonic group adapted their respective ground test facilities. The gas surface interactions on ablators are studied in the plasma wind tunnel facility PWK1 at IRS. PWK1 is currently the only plasma facility with the required hydrogen capabilities in the world to study the interaction of pyrolysis and ablation on a spacecraft’s thermal protection system.