// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Terminal Velocity
The constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling (like air) prevents further acceleration.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Terminal velocity is the maximum constant speed attained by an object falling through a fluid (e.g., atmosphere) when the downward gravitational force is balanced by the upward drag force, resulting in zero net acceleration, a critical factor in atmospheric re-entry and parachute design.
BACKGROUND
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) is an aerospace engineering company based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States that specializes in the design, assessment, hardware prototyping and flight demonstration of advanced space concepts for both government and commercial customers.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Limiting velocity
- maximum fall speed
- equilibrium speed
USAGE NOTE
Understanding terminal velocity is crucial for designing parachutes and re-entry capsules to ensure a safe landing speed.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Terminal Velocity.
Develops reusable spacecraft like the Dragon capsule and Starship. The Dragon capsule uses a drogue and main parachute system to drastically slow its terminal velocity for a safe ocean splashdown after atmospheric re-entry.
Focuses on manufacturing products in orbit and returning them to Earth. Their business model requires a re-entry capsule specifically designed to survive atmospheric entry and manage its descent velocity for payload recovery.
Develops the Dream Chaser, a lifting-body spaceplane. It uses its aerodynamic shape to glide through the atmosphere, actively managing speed and trajectory for a controlled, low-velocity runway landing, unlike traditional capsules.
A subsidiary of Safran, Airborne Systems is a primary designer and manufacturer of parachute systems for space vehicles, including NASA's Orion and Boeing's Starliner. Their technology is explicitly designed to increase atmospheric drag and lower a vehicle's terminal velocity for landing.
Pioneers Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) systems for missions to Earth and Mars. Technologies like the Mars Science Laboratory's 'sky crane' and advanced parachute designs are all focused on precisely controlling velocity during atmospheric flight.
Is developing reusability for its Electron rocket's first stage. This involves a controlled re-entry and the deployment of a parachute to slow the booster to a stable, low terminal velocity, allowing for mid-air capture by a helicopter.
The New Shepard suborbital vehicle's crew capsule uses a ring fin for aerodynamic stability during descent and deploys a series of drogue and main parachutes to reduce its terminal velocity for a soft, powered-retro-thrust landing.
Developed the CST-100 Starliner crew capsule, which utilizes a complex system of parachutes and airbags upon re-entry. This system is engineered to manage the capsule's terminal velocity for a safe and cushioned landing on land.