When spacecraft come back to Earth, they hit the atmosphere at insane speeds and get incredibly hot — so they need heat shields. Current shields are rigid and bulky, which limits what you can bring back from space. EFESTO built flexible, inflatable heat shields — think of a heat-resistant airbag that packs small but inflates big. They tested these at full scale for both Earth and Mars conditions, aiming to let us land heavier cargo and reuse rocket parts instead of throwing them away.
Getting spacecraft, cargo, and rocket stages safely back through the atmosphere is extremely expensive because current rigid heat shields are heavy, bulky, and single-use. Their size is also limited by the rocket fairing they must fit inside, which caps how much payload you can land — especially on Mars. Companies in the growing commercial space sector need lighter, packable, reusable thermal protection to cut costs and increase mission capability.
EFESTO produced a Multi-layer Flexible TPS Test Sample — an inflatable heat shield system tested at 1:1 scale. The team validated flexible thermal blankets in arcjet facilities under both Earth and Mars re-entry conditions, and characterized the morphing dynamics from packed to fully inflated configuration across 12 total deliverables.
If you are a launch provider dealing with the high cost of disposable upper stages — this project developed inflatable thermal protection systems tested at 1:1 scale that enable reusability of launcher upper stages. The technology was validated in arcjet facilities simulating real re-entry conditions, potentially cutting your per-launch costs by making upper stages recoverable.
If you are a mission contractor struggling with the payload limits imposed by rigid heat shields and launcher fairing size — this project developed flexible morphing TPS solutions validated for Martian atmospheric entry. EFESTO tested flexible thermal blankets in both Earth and Mars environments, enabling you to land bigger or heavier payloads on Mars than current rigid shields allow.
If you are a materials company looking for advanced flexible heat-resistant products for non-space industrial applications — EFESTO characterized and tested multi-layer flexible thermal blankets that survive extreme re-entry temperatures. The project explicitly explored non-space applications in materials and structures, opening a path to industrial heat protection products.
The project data does not include licensing terms or pricing. EFESTO was a publicly funded RIA (Research and Innovation Action), so results may be available through consortium partners. Contact the coordinator DEIMOS SPACE (Spain) to discuss access terms.
EFESTO tested the inflatable structure at 1:1 scale, which is a strong indicator of scalability readiness. The flexible thermal blankets were validated in arcjet facilities under real re-entry conditions for both Earth and Mars. However, the technology reached TRL 4/5, meaning further development is needed before flight-qualified production.
As a Horizon 2020 RIA project, IP is typically retained by the partners who generated it. The consortium of 7 partners across 4 countries (DE, ES, FR, IT) includes 3 industry players. Licensing discussions should go through the coordinator DEIMOS SPACE or relevant industrial partners.
EFESTO improved the technology from TRL 3 to TRL 4/5 and explicitly designed a future In-Orbit Demonstrator mission as the next step. The 1:1 scale ground testing is complete, but an actual in-orbit demonstration (TRL 6) is still needed before any commercial deployment.
The project delivered a Multi-layer Flexible TPS Test Sample and conducted arcjet facility testing of flexible thermal blankets in both Earth and Martian re-entry environments. They also tested the inflatable structure at 1:1 scale, examining morphing dynamics from packed to fully inflated configuration.
Yes — the project objective explicitly states that non-space applications in the areas of materials and structures were considered. The flexible heat-resistant materials and inflatable structural concepts could transfer to industrial thermal protection, though specific non-space use cases are not detailed in the available data.
The EFESTO consortium brings together 7 partners from 4 countries (Germany, Spain, France, Italy) — all major European space nations. With 3 industry players (43% industry ratio) alongside 3 research organizations and 1 university, the consortium has a solid balance between scientific rigor and commercial orientation. The coordinator DEIMOS SPACE is a Spanish private company with space systems expertise, and 1 SME is involved. This mix suggests the results are grounded in real industry needs, particularly European launcher competitiveness and Mars exploration ambitions, though the technology still requires further maturation before commercial adoption.
DEIMOS SPACE SOCIEDAD LIMITADA UNIPERSONAL, Spain — a private space systems company. Reach their business development or technology transfer office for licensing discussions.
Want an introduction to the EFESTO team to discuss inflatable heat shield technology for your application? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner.
