By combining cork, innovation, and engineering, the consortium composed of Amorim
Cork Composites, Critical Materials, PIEP – Innovation Pole in Polymer Engineering, and ISQ developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) an atmospheric reentry capsule (ERC) for collection of soil samples on Mars.

The challenge combined the design and production of an atmospheric reentry capsule
with optimized thermomechanical characteristics to a passive atmospheric reentry that dispenses the aid of parachutes or other auxiliary systems to mitigate impact forces in the contact phase with the earth; surface, capable of ensuring the structural integrity of the reservoir, which will contain soil samples from the planet Mars.

It is an innovative solution that, due to the unprecedented integration of different materials in the capsule and with an original geometric configuration, is able to fully respond to the specifications defined by ESA for the exploration program for Planet
Mars.

The cTPS Project – Crushable TPS – Innovative atmospheric reentry capsule is part of the European Space Agency Mars exploration program.