Heat shield material for the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) passed a test, the company announced.

The PICA-X heat shield material, which will be used in the Dragon spacecraft, underwent arc jet testing.

Subjected to temperatures as high as 1,850 degrees Celsius (3,360 degrees Fahrenheit), tests simulated reentry heating conditions that will be experienced by the Dragon capsule. Panels of the high performance carbon-based material will protect cargo and crew during the spacecraft’s return from Earth orbit.

SpaceX developed the ability to manufacture PICA-X with the assistance of NASA, the originator of PICA (Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator). The "X" stands for the SpaceX- developed variants of the rigid, lightweight material, which has several improved properties and greater ease of manufacture.

"We tested three different variants developed by SpaceX," said Tom Mueller, vice president of propulsion with SpaceX.

"Compared to the PICA heat shield flown successfully on NASA’s Stardust sample return capsule, our SpaceX versions equaled or improved the performance of the heritage material in all cases."

The tests were conducted at the Arc Jet Complex at Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.

SpaceX is only the second commercial producer of a PICA-based material, according to the company. All of initial production will be used for domestic in-house applications including the heat shields of the Dragon spacecraft, and the Falcon 9 second stage, which is designed to return from orbit for recovery and reuse.

The inaugural Dragon spacecraft flight is scheduled later this year aboard SpaceX’s new Falcon 9 launcher.

The Dragon capsule will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at around 7 kilometers per second (15,660 miles per hour), heating the exterior of the shield to up to 1,850 degrees Celsius. However, just a few inches of the PICA-X material will keep the interior of the capsule at room temperature.

In January 2006, NASA’s Stardust sample return capsule, equipped with a PICA heat shield, set the record for the fastest reentry speed of a spacecraft into Earth’s atmosphere – – experiencing 12.9 kilometers per second (28,900 miles per hour). SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will return at just over half of that speed, and will experience only one tenth as much heating.