Tommaso Molinari
Conceptual design methodology and tool for reusable single-stage-to-orbit vehicles with horizontal take-off and landing.
Rel. Roberta Fusaro, Nicole Viola, Valeria Borio. Politecnico di Torino, Master of science program in Aerospace Engineering, 2024
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Abstract
To date, space launchers remain prohibitively expensive and the low reliability compared to commercial aircraft stands out as the main obstacles of future space exploration plans. To address these challenges, future launch vehicles necessitate a paradigm-shift towards more reusable and sustainable assets. In the current fast evolving landscape of competitive launch vehicle design, the development of a dedicated Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) design methodology becomes crucial. This thesis outlines the development steps towards an innovative sizing methodology for Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) with Horizontal Takeoff and Horizontal Landing (HTOL) capabilities. Beginning with the elicitation of mission requirements, constraints, and assumptions, the methodology encompasses considerations such as vehicle geometry, propulsion strategy, and technological availability, thus defining conceptual configuration alternatives complemented by initial estimates of dimensions and performance to determine the technical feasibility of the planned mission.
The iterative nature of this process aims at matching the hypothesized variables with the estimated ones, considering different Mach regimes, evaluating the thermal loads, and satisfying performance requirements across flight phases
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