Experimental investigations have been carried out to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of a re-entry body, basedontheApolloshape,atraree edandhypersonice owconditions.Thepresentexperimentshavebeenconducted at a Mach number close to 20 and at rarefaction levels covering the near-continuum and transitional e ow regimes. Measured aerodynamic forces are compared with calculated Navier ‐Stokes values using both slip and no-slip boundary treatments and with previous experimental results obtained at the Arnold Engineering Development Center and at the Deutsche Luft and Raumfahrt at Gottingen. For the capsule at 0-deg angle of attack, the drag coefe cient is presented as a function of the e ow rarefaction from the continuum to the free molecular limit. Force data are also given for angles of attack ranging from 0 to 50 deg, whereas previous experimental data were mostly limited to lower angles of attack of 25 or 35 deg.