Design, Development, Testing, and In-Flight Qualification of a Parachute Recovery System

Abstract

Development of aerodynamic decelerators for aerospace applications is rather a complex and challenging endeavor, and it is even more so when it has to be conceived for winged systems to be recovered off their flight in supersonic conditions. In the case of the Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali unmanned space vehicle Polluce, a somewhat revolutionary approach was adopted for acquisition of the parachute recovery system, based upon adoption of a terminal area energy management strategy and the use of a completely commercial off-the-shelf onestage-only parachute system used in general aviation aircraft. The development process actually required implementation of a great engineering effort to customize the activation system, which in general aviation aircraft is usually performed only by the pilot in case of emergency. The parachute recovery system of Polluce was successfully used during drop transonic flight test #2, ensuring a safe mission termination and the vehicle recovery after sea splashdown.

Designing a Universal Deceleration System for Sounding Rockets Lighter than 100kg by System Engineering Approach

“…Robert E Meyerson [6] developed a drag parachute for space shuttle orbiter and tested it in a wind tunnel, the flight test of which was carried out in 2001. Ken Heinde et al [7] developed parachute tests for a missile descent system in 1999, G Guidotti et al [8] designed, developed, tested, and carried out in-flight qualification of a Parachute Recovery System in 2012 . John C Gallon et al [9] did verification and validation testing of the parachute decelerator system prior to the first supersonic flight dynamics test for the low density supersonic decelerator program in 2015.…”