ATD3 Workshop 2026

Session

Fragmentation modelling

19 Jun 2026, 09:00

Accueil (Toulouse - Cité de l'Espace)

Conveners

Fragmentation modelling

• Benton Greene (NASA ODPO (JETS-II Contract))
• Ian Holbrough (Belstead Research Limited)

Fragmentation modelling

• Pierre-Henri Maire (CEA)

66. ESA-DSMCFED: Development Status and Recent Advances of the SMURFS Re-Entry Fragmentation Code

Arnaud Francois (Cenaero)

19/06/2026, 09:00

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

At the end of their operational lifespan, uncontrolled spacecraft re-enter Earth's atmosphere and undergo total or partial destruction through interaction with the surrounding flow. The growing population of debris in Earth's orbits has prompted space agencies to address the space debris issue by imposing increasingly stringent requirements over the years. The published ESA standard Space...

70. Explosive Geometric Fragmentation and Collisions During Re-entry

Tommy Williamson (University of Strathclyde Aerospace Centre for Excellence)

19/06/2026, 09:18

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

With the ever increasing number of re-entries occurring year-on-year, accurate modelling of the entry process is a vital part of the drive for space sustainability. Both in terms of reducing the many unknowns of destructive re-entry and applications in satellite design according to the Design-For-Demise (D4D) paradigm. Of particular interest for D4D efforts is accurate resolution of explosive...

81. OSMOSE : Optimisation of Structural Morphologies for Operational Safety and End-of-life ; A topology optimization tool coupled to PAMPERO

Eddy Constant (R.Tech)

19/06/2026, 09:36

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

Design-for-Demise methodologies are becoming increasingly important in spacecraft development as regulatory requirements and casualty risk constraints continue to evolve. In this context, structural components must simultaneously satisfy mechanical performance requirements during mission operations while maximizing their destructibility during atmospheric re-entry. This paper presents a newly...

53. Analytical Analysis of the Re-entry Break-up Altitude Using Dimensional Analysis

Clemens Mueller (HEFDiG, Institute of Space Systems, University of Stuttgart)

19/06/2026, 09:54

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

Destructive atmospheric re-entry has become a major focus of current research, as it serves as the primary disposal strategy for satellites after their end of operation. The fragmentation of the satellite remains a key area of investigation, since its underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Observation data from multiple airborne observation campaigns conducted over the past decade...

80. Recent Modelling Improvements to the Spacecraft Demise Assessment Tool PAMPERO : PAMPERO HiFi

Valentin Ledermann (R.Tech Engineering)

19/06/2026, 10:52

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

This paper presents recent developments implemented in the High Fidelity Branch of Pampero spacecraft demise assessment tool, aimed at improving the physical realism and predictive capability of re-entry survivability analyses.
The first major enhancement concerns the aerodynamic and aerothermal modeling framework. Previous implementations relied primarily on engineering correlations to...

82. Recent Modelling Improvements to the Object Oriented Tool DEBRISK : DEBRISK V4

Martin Spel (RTECH)

19/06/2026, 11:10

Fragmentation modelling

Presentation

The accurate prediction of spacecraft demise behavior during atmospheric re-entry is essential for assessing ground casualty risk and supporting Design-for-Demise strategies. This paper presents recent developments introduced in the CNES Debrisk software version 4, focusing on improved aerothermal fidelity through geometric shadowing effects and enhanced surface chemistry modeling.
A first...