Single stage to orbit (SSTO) payload launcher
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Engineering
Abstract
Research Context
Current means of space travel are restricted to expensive, inefficient technology that can only be used for one mission. In order to make space more accessible and further our ability to explore it, the means of travel must be reusable, as this will substantially lower costs in the long term. Single stage to orbit vehicles provide a fully reusable option, however to this date such a vehicle has only existed in theory. This project will look to optimise configurations of such spacecraft for real life missions, with the ultimate goal of generating novel designs from a set of variable parameters.
Project Description
Using optimisation and uncertainty quantification techniques, a code will be developed to produce optimal single stage to orbit spacecraft for given mission parameters. To do this, launch and re-entry trajectories will be analysed, and possibly optimised themselves within the code. Once a realistic mission specification has been ascertained, a multi-objective (potentially over multiple flight regimes) cost function will be defined based on the crucial factors of said mission - for example mass of fuel or aerodynamic characteristics. Parameters will then be studied to provide a design space which the optimisation code will alter through a number of iterations until it converges on an ideal configuration. This research could prove critical in design of future reusable spacecraft, and provide robust techniques to obtain optimal configurations for a vast range of missions. Furthermore, it is hoped that the implementation of such techniques will allow for novel spacecraft designs to be generated. This research is aligned with that of the EPSRC's engineering design, and fluid dynamics and aerodynamics research areas which are both to be maintained.
Aims and objectives
- Develop techniques which provide accurate flight conditions of both launch and re-entry trajectories using a base configuration and validate against previous research
- Determine a multi-objective cost function based on the requirements of a specified mission
- Complete a parametric study to find the relevant characteristics to be optimised during the simulations
- Widen the design space to allow for analysis on novel configurations of single stage to orbit vehicles
Current means of space travel are restricted to expensive, inefficient technology that can only be used for one mission. In order to make space more accessible and further our ability to explore it, the means of travel must be reusable, as this will substantially lower costs in the long term. Single stage to orbit vehicles provide a fully reusable option, however to this date such a vehicle has only existed in theory. This project will look to optimise configurations of such spacecraft for real life missions, with the ultimate goal of generating novel designs from a set of variable parameters.
Project Description
Using optimisation and uncertainty quantification techniques, a code will be developed to produce optimal single stage to orbit spacecraft for given mission parameters. To do this, launch and re-entry trajectories will be analysed, and possibly optimised themselves within the code. Once a realistic mission specification has been ascertained, a multi-objective (potentially over multiple flight regimes) cost function will be defined based on the crucial factors of said mission - for example mass of fuel or aerodynamic characteristics. Parameters will then be studied to provide a design space which the optimisation code will alter through a number of iterations until it converges on an ideal configuration. This research could prove critical in design of future reusable spacecraft, and provide robust techniques to obtain optimal configurations for a vast range of missions. Furthermore, it is hoped that the implementation of such techniques will allow for novel spacecraft designs to be generated. This research is aligned with that of the EPSRC's engineering design, and fluid dynamics and aerodynamics research areas which are both to be maintained.
Aims and objectives
- Develop techniques which provide accurate flight conditions of both launch and re-entry trajectories using a base configuration and validate against previous research
- Determine a multi-objective cost function based on the requirements of a specified mission
- Complete a parametric study to find the relevant characteristics to be optimised during the simulations
- Widen the design space to allow for analysis on novel configurations of single stage to orbit vehicles
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509668/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1804531 | Studentship | EP/N509668/1 | 03/10/2016 | 30/09/2020 | Andrew Cusick |