Planetary Aerobraking Drag Deceleration Calculator

Entry, Descent & Orbit Insertion: Model upper-atmosphere planetary aerobraking passes, peak g-load deceleration, aerothermal stagnation heating, and apoapsis orbital decay.

Atmospheric Aerobraking Inputs

Target Planetary Atmosphere:

Periapsis Altitude $h_p$ (km):

Apoapsis Altitude $h_a$ (km):

Ballistic Coeff. $B = \frac{m}{C_D A}$ (kg/m²):

Effective Nose Radius $R_n$ (m):

Target Circular Altitude (km):

Atmospheric Density Scale Factor:

Pass Aerodynamics & Orbit Decay

Peak Deceleration ($a_{\text{drag}}$)

-- m/s²

G-Load: -- g

Single-Pass $\Delta v$ Drop

-- m/s

Apoapsis Reduction: -- km

Peak Stagnation Heat Flux

-- W/cm²

-- kW/m²

Estimated Aerobraking Passes

-- passes

Est. Duration: -- days

Atmospheric State at Periapsis:

• Periapsis speed $v_p$: -- km/s

• Ambient density $\rho(h_p)$: -- kg/m³

• Orbit eccentricity $e$: --

• Dynamic pressure $q = \frac{1}{2}\rho v^2$: -- Pa

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Planetary Aerobraking Drag Deceleration Calculator

Atmospheric Aerobraking Inputs

Pass Aerodynamics & Orbit Decay

Frequently Asked Questions