The URANUS code - an advanced tool for reentry nonequilibrium flow simulations

The development of the advanced URANUS Navier-Stokes code for the computation of reentry flows in a wide altitude and velocity regime is reviewed. New modelings for the gas-phase and the gas-wall interaction as well as new numerical concepts for the solver are described. A systematic validation of the URANUS code for nonequilibrium flows around simple blunt bodies in a wide density and velocity regime demonstrates accuracy and efficiency gains obtained through the advanced modelings.