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Small Payload Quick Return

Small Payload Quick Return (SPQR) is a NASA Ames Research Center concept to return small payloads from orbit.

Exo-Brake
The first test of the Exo-Brake system from orbit began with the launching of the TechEdSat-3p nano-satellite from the International Space Station on November 19, 2013. TechEdSat-4 is expected to test an Exo-Brake with variable drag in 2014. A newer Exo-Brake system was tested on TechEdSat-5, deployed from the ISS in 2017. It is a flexible cross shape that can be warped for steering during reentry. ==SOAREX Flights==
SOAREX Flights
Several investigations related to the SPQR programs and TechEdSat have been flown on Sub-Orbital Aerodynamic Re-entry Experiments (SOAREX) sounding rockets flights. SOAREX-6 flew 27 November 2008 on an ATK ALV X-1 sounding rocket, but the rocket veered off course and the flight was terminated by range safety. SOAREX-6 survived the launch vehicle explosion and transmitted data until it was destroyed on splashdown. SOAREX-7 flew 28 May 2009 aboard a Terrier-Orion sounding rocket launched from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) in Virginia. A TDRV (Tube Deployed Re-entry Vehicle) was successfully tested after the flight reached its apogee of 134 km. On SOAREX-8, which launched on a Black Brant 9 sounding rocket, a wireless sensor module, a camera, various communication devices, and a full Exo-Brake were tested. On SOAREX-9, a wireless sensor module, a camera, and various communication devices were tested. ==References==
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