DLR Reusability Flight Experiment ReFEx

Bauer, Waldemar; Rickmers, Peter; Kallenbach, Alexander; Stappert, Sven; Wartemann, Viola; Merrem, Clemens Hans-Joachim; Schwarz, René; Sagliano, Marco; Grundmann, Jan Thimo; Flock, Andreas K.; Thiele, Thomas; Kiehn, Daniel; Bierig, Andreas; Windelberg, Jens; Ksenik, Eugen; Bruns, Thorben; Ruhe, Tobias; Elsäßer, Henning

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.11.034

Cited by 23 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The project "CALLISTO" (Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Tossback Operations), in cooperation with CNES and JAXA, is a reusable VTVL flight demonstrator that will be launched from Kourou to perform vertical landings and maneuvers similar to that of a full-scale reusable VTVL stage [12]. On the other hand, the DLR project "ReFEx" (Reusability Flight Experiment) is a winged flight demonstrator that shall perform a re-entry with transition from hypersonic to subsonic flight similar to that of a VTHL booster stage [14]. This demonstrator is planned to be launched on a sounding rocket from the rocket test facility of Woomera, South Australia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of European Reusable VTVL Booster Stages

Stappert

Wilken

Sippel

2018

2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition

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Reusability of launch systems has the potential to strongly impact the launch service market if sufficient reliability and low refurbishment costs can be achieved. This study focuses on the vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) method as currently used by SpaceX. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of this method on a technical, operational and economic level and to identify its potential for a future European reusable launch system. Therefore, different propellant combinations, stagings and engine cycles were considered for a launch system with a reusable VTVL booster stage and a payload capability of 7 tons to GTO (geostationary transfer orbit). Several concepts were subjected to a preliminary design phase and are presented in this paper. The most promising concept will be selected to enter a second, more detailed design phase to obtain a feasible reusable VTVL launcher with the potential to become a future European launch vehicle. I. NomenclatureCNES = Centre national d'études spatiales CSG = Centre Spatial Guayanais in Kourou DLR = German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt) DRL = downrange landing ELV = expendable launch vehicle GLOM = gross lift-off mass GTO = geostationary transfer orbit Isp = specific impulse JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency LC3H8 = liquid propane LCH4 = liquid methane LH2 = liquid hydrogen LH2 = liquid hydrogen LOX = liquid oxygen RLV = reusable launch vehicle RP-1 = rocket propellant -1 SART = Space Launcher System Analysis SI = structural index TSTO = two stages to orbit VTHL = vertical take-off, horizontal landing VTVL = vertical take-off, vertical landing

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of European Reusable VTVL Booster Stages

Stappert

Wilken

Sippel

2018

2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition

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“…Preliminary investigations on the heat loads have been conducted [5] that suggest that most of the fuselage structure can be built of aluminum. Because of ReFEx's aerodynamic capabilities to fly at high angles of attack even for more exposed parts such as the aerodynamic surfaces and the fuselage tip, the aerothermal loads are low enough that it is sufficient to use titanium which means expensive ceramic components can be avoided.…”

Section: Configuration Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary aerodynamic design of a reusable booster flight experiment

2020

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The Reusable Flight Experiment (ReFEx) is an experimental vehicle currently in development by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which simulates the reentry of a winged reusable booster stage. The topic covered in this paper is the aerodynamic design through the Mach number range from 5.0 to 0.8, including the transonic regime, by CFD simulations using the DLR TAU-Code. For steering and lift generation, the vehicle is equipped with multiple aerodynamic surfaces: canards, wings and a vertical fin. A VSB30 was chosen as the carrier rocket, leading to numerous limiting conditions that had to be fulfilled. The resulting tradeoffs are discussed. Also the process to achieve a configuration that meets all needs regarding stability during ascent and descent, controllability and energy management to autonomously follow a desired trajectory is explained. Since this vehicle is under development, the presented geometry is not necessarily the final shape. However, the completed design iterations strongly indicate that only details will differ between the presented state to the final and flyable ReFEx, scheduled to fly in 2022. Keywords Reusable flight experiment (ReFEx) • CFD • Aerodynamic design • Reusable booster Abbreviations Latin C Aerodynamic coefficient Ma Mach number d Diameter x, y, z Force in x-, y-, z-axes direction Greek α Angle of attack β Sideslip angle Subscripts CG Center of gravity NP Neutral point l, m, n Moment around x-, y-, z-axes p Pressure x, y, z Body-fixed x-,y-, z-axes Abbreviations CFD Computational fluid dynamics DLR German Aerospace Center MRP Moment reference point ReFEx Reusable flight experiment SM Static margin TAU Triangular adaptive upwind * C. Merrem

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“…As a matter of fact, the transpiration technique was already studied since the 1950s, and much experimental and theoretical studies have been devoted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Beckwith, 1958; Swann et al , 1966; Marvin and Sheaffer, 1969; Kaattari, 1978), but only one hypersonic flight experiment using the transpiration technique has been publicly reported, namely, SHEFEX II (Guelhan et al , 2014; Bauer et al , 2019). The main reason for limiting its use is the complexity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical study on heat and drag reduction by transpiration in hypersonic flow

Zhao

Huang

et al. 2023

HFF

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Purpose The transpiration has been recognized as one of the most effective thermal protection methods for future hypersonic vehicles. To improve efficiency and safety, it is urgent to optimize the design of the transpiration system for heat and drag reduction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of transpiration on heat and drag reduction. Design/methodology/approach A chemical nonequilibrium flow model with the transpiration is established by using Navier–Stokes equations, the shear-stress transport turbulence model, thermodynamic properties and the Gupta chemical kinetics model. The solver programmed for this model is verified by comparing with experimental results in the literature. Effects of air injection on the flow field, the aerodynamic resistance and the surface heat flux are calculated with the hypersonic flow past a blunt body. Furthermore, a modified blocking coefficient formula is proposed. Findings Numerical results show that the transpiration can reduce the aerodynamic resistance and the surface heat flux observably and increase the shock wave standoff distance slightly. It is also manifested that the modified formula is in better agreement with the wind tunnel test results than the original formula. Originality/value The modified formula can expand the application range of the engineering method for the blocking coefficient. This study will be beneficial to carry out the optimal design of the transpiration system.

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DLR Reusability Flight Experiment ReFEx

Cited by 23 publications

References 5 publications

Evaluation of European Reusable VTVL Booster Stages

Evaluation of European Reusable VTVL Booster Stages

Preliminary aerodynamic design of a reusable booster flight experiment

Numerical study on heat and drag reduction by transpiration in hypersonic flow

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