Reentry Capsules

Advanced Orbital Return Systems for Commercial Space Logistics

Traditional reentry vehicles were built for limited government missions, not modern commercial orbital logistics. Most legacy systems rely on rigid aeroshells, heavy ablative heat shields, and inflation-based deployment mechanisms that increase structural mass, mission complexity, and recovery cost.

Catalyx Space developed the REX Orbital Reentry Capsule platform to overcome these limitations through a lightweight, scalable, and cost-efficient architecture engineered for high-frequency orbital return missions.

[ Reentry Capsules ]

REX Orbital Reentry Capsule

REX is the orbital re-entry vehicle of the next generation to be used in cargo transport, scientific cargo recovery, and in-orbit manufacturing.

Foldable Thermal Protection System

REX makes use of unique foldable thermal protection system (TPS) that utilizes commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) materials and origami technology. This TPS, unlike its inflatable counterpart, does not use pressure lines and is therefore significantly less susceptible to critical re-entry failure.

Lightweight Reentry Design

Current spacecraft designs may use heat-shields that make up about 20% of the dry mass of capsules. REX will eliminate the weight loss incurred here.

High-Payload Density

REX is capable of accommodating cargo of up to 40 cubic meters volume but still launch-ready with a relatively small size. In this way, large payloads do not necessitate launch with heavy cargo vessels.

Deployable Hypersonic Aerobraking System

The deployable aerodynamic design of REX helps increase drag at higher altitudes by decreasing the ballistic coefficient and thus: Reduces peak heat loads, Stress on the capsule structure, g-loadings and the intensity of the heat experienced by the payload.

This results in increased survivability of sensitive payload types such as semiconductors, medications, and biocargo.

[ Frequently Asked Questions ]

How is REX unique compared to other reentry capsules?

The REX uses an expandable origami design for thermal protection, rather than rigid or inflated thermal protection, which allows increased efficiency in payload mass while decreasing structural mass.

What are the payload capabilities of REX?

Payload volumes range from 20m³ to 40m³ with payload masses of up to 10.8 tonnes.

What industries would make use of orbital reentry technology?

Examples include space manufacturing, semiconductors research, pharmaceutical payloads, defense payload retrieval, biological experiments, and commercial orbit logistics.

What services does Catalyx offer?

Catalyx Space provides end-to-end mission management including satellite integration, launches, operations, reentry, recovery, and payload delivery.

How soon can my mission be launched?

Typical missions can take off in under seven months, with customised orbital mission programs taking under 16 months.

Ready to Return Payloads From Orbit?

At Catalyx Space, we provide scalable reentry and retrieval services to aerospace companies, research institutions, and government entities for next generation space logistics.