In this paper we deal with the aero-heating analysis of a reentry flight demonstrator helpful to the research activities for the design and development of a possible winged Reusable Launch Vehicle. In fact, to reduce risks in the development of next generation reusable launch vehicles, as first step it is suitable to gain deep design knowledge by means of extensive numerical computations, in pa...

Onboard trajectory generation capability greatly increases an autonomous reusable launch vehicle's capacity for recovering from unexpected disturbances or anomalous conditions. Such capability dispenses with the routine of pre-defined, mission specific trajectories and contingencies, which has been in use since the early days of the Shuttle. Newer guidance techniques, employing modem computing ...

As the world looks ahead to the next generation of space exploration programs, we must focus on designing architectures for both sustainability and affordability. By viewing exploration programs as a “system-of-systems,” we can focus on reducing costs through the use of flexible, reusable infrastructures to support various aspects of manned and unmanned spaceflight. This paper addresses one key...

The goal of the NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology program is to develop and demonstrate essential, cost-effective technologies for next-generation launch systems. The XÐ33 flight vehicle presently being developed by Lockheed-Martin is an experimental Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) demonstrator that is intended to validate critical technologies for the full-scale RLV. One of the key te...

Current and future developments in reusable launch vehicle technology demand on-board, real time autonomous abort handling. If an engine failure occurs, the guidance system must quickly determine a footprint of reachable landing sites and select a robust site. A robust site is one which maximizes the vehicle's ability to reach that site in the presence of multiple uncertainties. After selecting...