A systems study of very small launch vehicles

Motivated by the continuing miniaturization of small satellites and ballistic payloads, this thesis studies the perform&ace and feasibility of very small launch vehicles (15 kg- 2000 kg liftoff mass). Gross payload performance for several vehicles was calculated with a commercial three degree of freedom trajectory code. The significance of aerodynamic drag on small vehicles is discussed. Both the options of air and ground-launched vehicles were examined as well as composite configurations with existing motor stages. Parametric analyses were carried out, examining the impact of varying propellant mass fraction, stack fraction, launch conditions (velocity and altitude), and vacuum specific impulse. All vehicles are based on a version of the MIT microrocket engine, a micro-scale rocket engine fabricated in silicon, and weighing 2 g. The engines use nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine as propellants which are pump-fed to the engine using micro turbopumps. Following the performance study, a 77 kg vehicle (w/o gross payload) was carried through a preliminary design. Various subsystems were analyzed, focusing on: vehicle structure, propellant tank design, and propellant pressurization and delivery. The mass of the various vehicle components were analyzed and compared with initial inert mass estimations used to determine gross payload performance.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

1999

Author dc:creator

• Francis, Richard J. (Richard James), 1974-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alan H. Epstein.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9383

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/9383