Vessels such as space capsules are subjected to intense heat when they reenter the Earth's atmosphere. Their skin must therefore be protected so that the inside remains at a suitable temperature. The new composite materials withstanding temperatures of 3,000°C are suited to this.

But this is not enough in certain cases. The material is consumed on the surface and degraded. This phenomenon is known as ablation.

Ablation must be investigated on the ground to determine the ultimate strength of the materials. Experimental facilities are used to produce the heat fluxes encountered during real flight on models or samples.