Laboratory modelling of an active space experiment using railgun as a launch device

Laboratory modelling of active space experiments is described. To accelerate an impactor, a specially developed electromagnetic railgun capable of accelerating 10-mg cubic impactors to velocities of up to 5.5 km/s was used. As targets, different materials, such as ice and moon-like regolith, were employed. To simulate a collision with a comet, a hypervelocity impact on water ice targets with different densities was performed. To simulate an impact on the Moon's surface, a special method for preparation of regolith targets with the compositions corresponding to the Moon's surface materials was developed. The impact experiments with regoliths of different densities were carried out.