Related papers: Launch Vehicle High-Energy Performance Dataset
This paper presents a methodology for the concurrent first-stage preliminary design and ascent trajectory optimization, with application to a Vega-derived Light Launch Vehicle. The reuse as first stage of an existing upper-stage (Zefiro 40)…
This article presents a detailed overview and assessment of contact-free UV light discharge systems (UVDS) needed to control the variable electric charge level of free-flying test masses which are part of high precision inertial sensors in…
The combination of a fuel cell and batteries has promising potential for powering autonomous vehicles. The MUN Explorer Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is built to do mapping-type missions of seabeds as well as survey missions. These…
In August 2019, a second interstellar object 2I/Borisov was discovered 2 years after the discovery of the first known interstellar object, 1I/'Oumuamua. Can we send a spacecraft to this object, using existing technologies? In this paper we…
Mid-Air Deployment (MAD) of a rotorcraft during Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) on Mars eliminates the need to carry a propulsion or airbag landing system. This reduces the total mass inside the aeroshell by more than 100 kg and simplifies…
Aerocapture is a maneuver which uses aerodynamic drag to slow down a spacecraft in a single pass through the atmosphere. All planetary orbiters to date have used propulsive orbit insertion. Aerocapture is a promising alternative, especially…
The aviation sector is challenging to decarbonize since aircraft require high power and energy per unit of weight. Liquid hydrogen is an interesting solution due to its high gravimetric energy density, minimal warming impact, and low-carbon…
This paper presents a novel micropropulsion system for nanosatellite applications - a liquid fed pulsed-plasma thruster (LF-PPT) comprised of a Lorentz-force pulsed plasma accelerator (PPA) and a low-energy surface flashover (LESF) igniter.…
Energy harvesting is the fundamental activity in almost all forms of space exploration known to humans. So far, in most cases, it is not feasible to bring, along with probe, spacecraft or rover suitable supply of fuel to cover all mission's…
Future missions to Mars and Venus will make use of aerobraking and aerocapture in order to gain mass through the saving of fuel at planetary arrival. So far only aerobraking has been demonstrated, if the Mars Premier project has paved the…
Current research focuses on designing fast trajectories to the trans-Neptunian object (TNO) (90377) Sedna to study the surface and composition from a close range. Studying Sedna from a close distance can provide unique data about the Solar…
Multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle is a prevailing type of aerial robots with wide real-world applications. The energy efficiency of the robot is a critical aspect of its performance, determining the range and duration of the missions that…
In this paper it is presented the concept and design of a new type of spacecraft that could be used to make the first manned interstellar travel. Solar one would integrate three near-term technologies, namely: compact nuclear fusion…
In the last decade, autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles have become increasingly important as they lower mission costs thanks to their re-usability. However, their development is complex, rendering even the basic…
On-board battery consumption, cellular disconnectivity, and frequent handoff are key challenges for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based delivery missions, a.k.a., cargo-UAV. Indeed, with the introduction of UAV technology into cargo…
Kick-starting the space economy requires identification of critical resources that can lower the cost of space transport, sustain logistic bases and communication relay networks between major nodes in the network. One important challenge…
With the increased urgency to design fusion pilot plants, fast optimization of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) launchers is paramount. Traditionally, this is done by coarsely sampling the 4-D parameter space of possible launch…
We consider multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) serving a density of ground terminals (GTs) as base stations. The objective is to minimize the outage probability of GT-to-UAV transmissions. Optimal placement of UAVs under different UAV…
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones have witnessed a spectacular surge in applications for military, commercial, and civilian purposes. However, their potential for flight is always limited by the finite power budget of their onboard…
Space launches produce ionospheric disturbances which can be observed through measurements such as Global Navigation Satellite System signal delays. Here we report observations and numerical simulations of the ionospheric depletion due to a…