Report developed under SBIR contract for topic AF05-201. The increased use of reusable systems continues to be one of the most promising options for creating advancements in the daily maintenance of rocket systems, lowering hours for preparation and diminishing expenses for preparation. However, since the end of the DC-X/XA Delta Clipper program, flight testing of candidate reusable launch vehicle (RLV) designs, technologies and operations has come to a halt. This project addressed this situation through the development and flight testing during Phase I of an early prototype RLV that could ultimately evolve into the first stage of an operational nanosat launch vehicle (NLV). This LOX/ethanol-propellant vehicle -the Prospector 7 -took flight twice within a 3.5 hour period after less than a day of pre-launch field preparations, thereby establishing a new reference metric for RLV-type responsive, fast turn-around launch operations. Besides serving as an operational pathfinder, this RLV test bed also manifested several academic payloads in support of a related goal of assessing candidate nanosat-class payload accommodations. In a solid demonstration of the commercial potential for this kind of capability, the Prospector 7 itself has already been assigned to non-SBIR follow-on flight test activities.
Demonstration and Analysis of Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations
2006
39 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Basic & Synthetic Chemistry , Logistics Military Facilities & Supplies , Unmanned Spacecraft , Reusable equipment , Launch vehicles , Maintenance , Flight testing , Payload , Ethanols , Test beds , Demonstrations , Reaction time , Prototypes , Rlv(Reusable launch vehicle) , Nlv(Nanosat launch vehicle) , Sbir(Small business innovation research) , Sbir reports , Sbir topic af05-20 phase 1 , Ors(Operationally responsive space)
Reusable Launch Vehicle Engine Systems Operations Analysis
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
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