Flight maneuver
Aerocapture
A single, deep pass through a planet's atmosphere to slow a spacecraft enough for orbital capture in one stroke, behind a heat shield — far faster than aerobraking but far more demanding, requiring precise guidance and thermal protection. It has been studied and validated in analysis but has not yet been used on a planetary mission.
Highlights
- ›One atmospheric pass to capture — studied, not yet flown
Hardware & related concepts
Across space engineering
Knowledge connections
- Associated withAerobraking
- Associated withAerobraking
- Associated withHeat Shield
- Associated withEntry, Descent & Landing (EDL)
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.