Space vehicles that make an entry through the atmosphere of a planet suffer tremendously because of extreme heating of the vehicle. The design of thermal protection systems for space vehicles involves multidisciplinary topics and is a very critical stage of space vehicles. The qualification of thermal protection systems on ground is very important for a safe space flight and the protection of critical payloads. At von Karman Institute, several ground facilities are used for the characterisation

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... and qualification of thermal protection systems and materials. Infrared thermography is one of the most important measurement techniques used to monitor surface temperature and heat flux imposed on the thermal protection material, thus enabling the researchers to analyse the structural and thermal behaviour of tested materials. 1.