This work presents the commissioning of the new Osney Plasma Generator 1
(OPG1) plasma wind tunnel at the University of Oxford. The OPG1 facility is equipped
with a thermal arc-jet plasma generator to supply high-enthalpy flows, replicating atmospheric re-entry environments. The small-scale and low operating cost of the arc-jet make
it ideal for preliminary screening of material samples, testing new plasma diagnostics, and
utilising it as a model pre-heating device. The paper outlines an overview of the facility
and summarises the experimental results obtained during the facility commissioning,
particularly regarding flow condition characterisation
