The Aurora8 prototype descended under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by in dependent movement of two forward and two aft fl aps on the vehicle. All four flaps were actuated by an onboard flight computer to control Aurora8’s attitude during flight and enabled precise landing at the intended l ocation. SN15’s Raptor engines reignited as the vehicle per formed the landing flip maneuver immediately before touchin g down for a nominal landing on the pad.
Aurora8 will enter Mars’ atmosphere at 7.5 kilometers per second and decelerate aerodynamically. The vehicle’s heat shield is designed to withstand multiple entries, but given that the vehicle is coming into Mars' atmosphere so hot, we still expect to see some ablation of the heat shield (similar to wear and tear on a brake pad). The engineering video below simulates the physics of Mars entry for Aurora8.