LEXINGTON, Ky. — Researchers at the University of Kentucky are playing a pivotal role in an upcoming NASA launch. The team includes faculty, staff and students in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

What You Need To Know

  • University of Kentucky researchers are playing a pivotal role in an upcoming NASA launch 

  • They are studying ways to improve heat shields for NASA’s Artemis II launch

  • It is the first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo era

  • Artemis II will launch in April 2026 

They are studying ways to improve heat shields for NASA’s Artemis II launch, the first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo era. They will travel 600,000 miles around the moon.

Alexandre Martin, professor of aerospace engineering and director of NASA Kentucky, said it's research UK has been doing for years.

“This is a really good research access for the university, very niche but very important research that we’re one of the leaders in the U.S.," Martin said.

UK researchers played a role in the investigation of heat shield problems in the Artemis I mission in 2022. They’re testing the permeability or ease of gas flow within the heat shield material. 

Michael Renfro, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, designed a specialized device to measure permeability in fragile samples.

“The less permeable the material is, the larger pressure builds up inside the material that can crack, so we’re trying to measure the pressures that it takes to push gas flows through these materials with very low permeabilities but also with brutal materials that have to be sealed," Renfro said.

Artemis II will launch in April 2026. Unlike Artemis I, this mission will have a four-person crew of astronauts circling the moon for 10 days while testing the rocket’s life support systems, including the heat shield. 

Savio Poovathingal, assistant professor in the aerospace engineering department, created tools to extract porosity data from three-dimensional imaging. Poovathingal said this research can pave the way in advancements beyond the Artemis mission.

“Heat shields make sure you don’t become a shooting star," Poovathingal said. "The capsule doesn’t become a shooting star when it comes back, so it basically protects everything that’s inside the capsule." 

UK has been researching heat shields with NASA since 2011.

“This has been one of the expertise at UK for 15 years," Martin said.

In addition to their work with NASA, UK researchers have developed and flown re-entry capsules in space multiple times, gathering valuable data on re-entry conditions. Their expertise extends beyond NASA partnerships, as they have collaborated on thermal protection systems (TPS) and hypersonic research with the Department of Defense, the European Space Agency and the international academic community.

Students at every level, from undergraduate researchers to Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral fellows, help contribute to advancements in aerospace technology.

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