Descrizione del progetto
RRTB – Un sistema di recupero rivoluzionario per i razzi di piccole dimensioni
La domanda di piccoli satelliti (di peso inferiore ai 500 kg) è alimentata da diversi settori, da quello agricolo a quello energetico, dall’ingegneria civile alla difesa. Per servire questo mercato sono stati sviluppati in tutto il mondo i microvettori. Tuttavia, per offrire un accesso allo spazio economico e flessibile per i piccoli satelliti, è fondamentale un’innovazione tecnologica e operativa. Il progetto RRTB, finanziato dall’UE, svilupperà un sistema di recupero rivoluzionario che consentirà di riutilizzare il primo stadio dei microvettori MESO. Il progetto studia il reingresso atmosferico del veicolo, la fase di atterraggio del primo stadio utilizzando innovative ventole canalizzate elettriche, la progettazione di una struttura resistente e riutilizzabile nonché serbatoi criogenici.
Obiettivo
The rise of small satellites and large constellations is changing the satellite industry. Due to the growth of the small satellite market, launch has become the bottleneck of the industry. According to MT Aerospace the micro-launcher market will grow as much as four to seven times in the next decade, with a full market potential of up to €7B.
The RRTB consortium believes that a tailored service for access to space for small satellites is required. However, micro-launchers regularly have higher launch costs per kilogram than bigger launchers. Today, the cornerstone of this emerging market is the economic viability of launching small payloads at high frequencies to dedicated orbits. According to the RRTB consortium, technological development and vehicle reuse are fundamental steps to bring down the cost of launch and access-to-space.
This project investigates the recovery and return to base system (RRTB) for the first stage of the MESO launch vehicle. The recovery and return to base system is divided into two parts:
1. Passive atmospheric reentry: The atmospheric reentry of the first stage of the vehicle will be a passive reentry. During the project this phase, together with its required hardware, will be investigated and defined during the project by Pangea Aerospace together with Deimos Space and VKI.
2. Horizontal landing: Landing of the first stage of the vehicle is intended to be performed using a novel patent pending horizontal landing technology that uses electric ducted fans situated in both sides of the first stage of the launch vehicle to brake the fall of first stage, control it and perform a safe landing. This phase will be studied by TUM and Pangea Aerospace.
Furthermore during the project the structural design and analysis of the MESO launch vehicle, as well as an investigation of the launch vehicle's propellant tanks (a critical component for cost-efficient reuse), will be performed. This work will involve RWTH, Heron, TAS, Toseda and Pangea.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
08040 Barcelona
Spagna
L’organizzazione si è definita una PMI (piccola e media impresa) al momento della firma dell’accordo di sovvenzione.