Related papers: Launch Vehicle High-Energy Performance Dataset
Low cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) need multiple refuels to accomplish large area coverage. The number of refueling stations and their placement plays a vital role in determining coverage efficiency. In this paper, we propose the use…
Today\'s world of space\'s primary concern is the uncontrolled growth of space debris and its probability of collision with spacecraft, particularly in the low earth orbit (LEO) regions. This paper is aimed to design an optimized…
A propulsion concept in which a spacecraft interacts with high-velocity pellets and the interstellar medium is proposed. The pellets are slower than the spacecraft and are accelerated backwards as they are overtaken, imparting a forward…
We investigate launch power optimization in 12-THz super-(C+L) systems, using iterative performance evaluation enabled by NLI closed-form models. We find that, despite the strong ISRS, these systems tolerate well easy-to-implement…
We model accelerated trips at high-velocity aboard light sails (beam-powered propulsion in general) and radiation rockets (thrust by anisotropic emission of radiation) in terms of Kinnersley's solution of general relativity and its…
Solar energy is the most convenient and reliable energy source among all renewable energy resources and an efficient photovoltaic device is required to convert this energy into utilizable energy. Different types of solar cells (SC) are…
Laying the Vision and Voyages (V&V, National Research Council 2011) Decadal Survey 2013-2022 objectives against subsequent budget profiles reveals that separate missions to every desirable target in the Solar System are simply not…
This work studies the joint problem of power and trajectory optimization in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled mobile relaying system. In the considered system, in order to provide convenient and sustainable energy supply to the UAV…
This paper presents a study for the realization of a space mission which employs nanosatellites driven by an external laser source impinging on an optimized lightsail, as a valuable technology to launch swarms of spacecrafts into the Solar…
Due to its mobility and agility, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has emerged as a promising technology for various tasks, such as sensing, inspection and delivery. However, a typical UAV has limited energy storage and cannot fly a long…
A problem of constructing the trajectory of a spacecraft flight to Venus within the framework of a mission including landing of a lander in a given region of the planet's surface is being considered. A new celestial mechanics related method…
This paper proposes a systematic method for generating practical and robust low-thrust spacecraft trajectories. One contribution is to consider the change in mass of the spacecraft at two levels: a) the propulsive acceleration and b) the…
The last few decades have led to the rise of research focused on propulsion and control systems for bio-inspired unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), which provide more maneuverable alternatives to traditional UUVs in underwater missions.…
An all-electric unmanned aerial system with both VTOL and Fixed wing capabilities is designed and optimized for long range surveillance and relief operations. The UAV is equipped with onboard computers and sensors and is capable of carrying…
Large-payload deep space missions are impractical with current rocket propulsion technologies in use. Chemical thrusters yield a high thrust but low efficiency while ion thrusters are efficient but provide too little thrust for large…
A technique by which a spacecraft can interact with flows of ionized gas in space (the solar wind or interstellar medium) to be accelerated to velocities greater than the wind velocity is explored. Inspired by the dynamic soaring maneuvers…
Exoplanets at small orbital distances from their host stars are submitted to intense levels of energetic radiations, X-rays and extreme ultraviolet (EUV). Depending on the masses and densities of the planets and on the atmospheric heating…
The Breakthrough Initiatives Project Starshot proposes to send a gram-scale laser driven spacecraft to the Alpha Centauri system in a 20 year mission travelling at v=0.2c. One of the challenges of this mission as the spacecraft moves…
In the nearly 60 years of spaceflight we have accomplished wonderful feats of exploration that have shown the incredible spirit of the human drive to explore and understand our universe. Yet in those 60 years we have barely left our solar…
In this paper, we aim to sustain unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based missions for longer periods of times through different techniques. First, we consider on-the-mission UAV recharging by a low-power laser source (below 1 kilowatt). In…