“A true spaceplane would cut down on orbital space debris by not ejecting rocket stages, which requires the release of pins and bolts. Cutting down on space debris alone would be a huge advantage.”

The kickoff meeting featured presentations from leads on hypersonic flow processes, material and structural response, uncertainty quantification, and an integrated simulation framework.

Researchers at CU Boulder are leading a new $15 million, multi-partner institute with NASA over the next five years to improve entry, descent and landing technologies for exploring other planets.