Pulsed magnets edge closer to magnetic aerobraking for spacecraft reentry
Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers built a pulsed air-core electromagnet that produced up to 1.58 tesla in miniature spacecraft models under high-speed shock conditions (~7.7 km/s) in an expansion-tube setup, increasing the glow-emitting shock layer by about 16% and showing magnetic fields could someday help reduce heat transfer and tailor shielding for reusable spacecraft—though this remains a laboratory tool, not a flight-ready heat shield.