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...

portunity to reduce launch costs, and improve safety and reliability was to develop a fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit vehicle capable of delivering 25,000 lb to the International Space Station. The study identified many technologies that had to be matured before a commitment could be made to build such a vehicle. NASA accepted the recommendation and the need for new technology as the key t...

The Air Launch System Enabling Technology (ALSET) project is a Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) funded project whose purpose is to study air launch orbital payload delivery systems and related technologies. The project is a first step toward an operational commercial air launch system that will use a multistage solid rocket to deliver small payloads on the order of 100 to...

This paper addresses different methods for determining the amount of extra propellant (flight performance reserve or FPR) that is necessary to reach orbit with a high probability of success. One approach involves assuming that the various influential parameters are independent and that the result behaves as a Gaussian. Alternatively, probabilistic models may be used to determine the vehicle and...

Market sensitivity and weight-based cost estimating relationships are key drivers in determining the financial viability of advanced space launch vehicle designs. Due to decreasing space transportation budgets and increasing foreign competition, it has become essential for financial assessments of prospective launch vehicles to be performed during the conceptual design phase. As part of this fi...

Sliding mode control of a launch vehicle during its atmospheric flight phase is studied in the presence of unmatched disturbances. Linear time-varying dynamics of the aerospace vehicle is converted into a systematic formula and then dynamic sliding manifold as an advanced method is used in order to overcome the limited capability of conventional sliding manifolds in minimizing the undesired eff...