Computation of destructive satellite re-entries

The software system SCARAB (’Spacecraft AtmosphericRe-entryandAerothermalBreak-up’)is designed to calculatethedestructionof spacecraftduring their reentry flight through the Earth atmosphere. This software hasa modularstructure,combiningflight dynamics,aerothermodynamics, thermalanalysis,andstructural analysis. The softwarehasbeenappliedto several test cases.Someresultscouldbeverifiedwith in-flight measurements, otherresultswerecomparedwith otherexisting re-entrypredictiontools. Now we are working on re-entrysurvivability studiesfor satellitesat their endof mission. Currentlythereareseveralsatellitesof interest in orbit which will make an uncontrolledre-entryduring thenext few years.For satelliteswithout controlability theSCARAB S/W computesthesatellitedestruction history and the groundimpact risk. For ’controlled reentries’(uncontrolledre-entryaftera de-orbitboost)the computationscan give recommendationsfor the choice of suitableentry conditions. The presentpaperpresents resultsof currentstudies.