USV3: An Autonomous Space Vehicle with Re-Entry and Landing Capability

Fumo, Mario De Stefano; Guidotti, Giuseppe; Paletta, Nicola; Richiello, C.; Vecchione, Ludovico

doi:10.4271/2013-01-2196

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Another key point is represented by the development of key technologies applicable to future unmanned spacecraft, for re-entry from LEO orbits w.r.t structural optimization. In this framework, CIRA was the primary contractor on the Unmanned Space Vehicle 3 project, named USV3 [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Optimization of Interfacing Attachments for the Deployable Wing of an Unmanned Re-Entry Vehicle

et al. 2021

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Re-entry winged body vehicles have several advantages w.r.t capsules, such as maneuverability and controlled landing opportunity. On the other hand, they show an increment in design level complexity, especially from an aerodynamic, aero-thermodynamic, and structural point of view, and in the difficulties of housing in operative existing launchers. In this framework, the idea of designing unmanned vehicles equipped with deployable wings for suborbital flight was born. This work details a preliminary study for identifying the best configuration for the hinge system aimed at the in-orbit deployment of an unmanned re-entry vehicle’s wings. In particular, the adopted optimization methodology is described. The adopted approach uses a genetic algorithm available in commercial software in conjunction with fully parametric models created in FEM environments and, in particular, it can optimize the hinge position considering both the deployed and folded configuration. The results identify the best hinge configuration that minimizes interface loads, thus, realizing a lighter and more efficient deployment system. Indeed, for such a category of vehicle, it is mandatory to reduce the structural mass, as much as possible in order to increase the payload and reduce service costs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Optimization of Interfacing Attachments for the Deployable Wing of an Unmanned Re-Entry Vehicle

et al. 2021

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“…During the last decade CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre, has been leading different research projects concerning in-flight demonstration of key technologies for re-entry systems in the framework of national and international programs [1][2][3][4]. Within the national USV (unmanned space vehicle) program [5], the USV3 project is the current driving project [6]. It was created to achieve a technology driven approach, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic loads evaluation for the USV3-PRIDE robotic arm qualification

Paletta¹,

Vice²,

Belardo³

2016

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

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This paper presents the evaluation of the dynamic loads for the qualification of a robotic arm, to be installed on-board the USV3-PRIDE spacecraft. CIRA is developing a fully reusable unmanned space vehicle, code named USV3-PRIDE, to be launched by VEGA. The system is capable of orbiting, de-orbiting and gliding back to Earth with high manoeuvrability and controllability throughout all flight regimes (i.e. hypersonic re-entry, supersonic, transonic, subsonic) and performing a safe ground landing on a conventional runway by a landing gear system. Such aerospace systems could lead to the new technological frontier to master both new and innovative orbital robotic systems in the near Earth environment, as well as to explore the hypersonic flight regimes necessary to re-enter the earth from above 300 Km altitude to the ground, which represent the same flight levels of the future aerospace transportation systems. The spacecraft is equipped with a robotic arm which provides the capability to ship a payload and interface with a space tug towards the International Space Station. During ground operation and flight the spacecraft is subject to different kinds of loads, both static and dynamic. These excitations are from different origins such as operational, aerodynamics or propulsion. In particular, for the mechanical qualification of the robotic arm and the other subsystems, the dynamic environment provides for the most severe conditions in terms of local accelerations. The dynamic environment taken under consideration includes two types of dynamic analyses: Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) analysis, and Sine equivalent dynamics. SRS analysis is necessary to calculate the structural local response to shocks and to estimate the maximum dynamic response of a structure. The spacecraft is

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“…The USV3 project, the current driving project in the framework of the national USV program, shifts from this road map, because it follows a "technology driven" approach, i.e. the design of a system with available technologies with high TRL or COTS (Component Off-The-Shelf) in order to fulfill a set of high level requirements [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The challenging objective of USV3 is the demonstration of the system capability to execute a re-entry flight with a winged body from LEO (Low Earth Orbit), after a number of prescribed revolutions and to safely land on a conventional runway by means of a conventional landing gear system, i.e. a small autonomous space/air-craft which will be the logical step forward looking to past and present ESA re-entry projects such as ARD, EXPERT and IXV and Euro-pean national programs as Phoenix and USV [9][10][11][12][13], Fig. 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptual design of the composite sandwich fuselage of a re‐entry vehicle

Belardo

Paletta

Mercurio

2015

Materialwissenschaft Werkst

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CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre, is carrying out two projects among the others: one is focused on a feasibility study of a future re‐entry spacecraft, USV‐3; and the other is a technological project aimed at developing anisogrid lattice composite cold structures, ICCS. The two projects are linked since the benchmark structure for ICCS project is the structure of the fuselage of USV3, sharing the same requirements. The present paper is focused on the conceptual design of the USV‐3 fuselage conceived in composite sandwich, used also as a benchmark for the ICCS project. The low level requirements of the structure have been obtained from launcher and mission high level requirements. Among all load types experienced by the vehicle during its mission, a first set of mechanical loads for conceptual design have been selected and evaluated. Analytical relations from literature have been used to choose materials, stacking sequence and core geometry against strength and typical core instability phenomena for the design of an equivalent cylindrical geometry made in sandwich composite. Then a simplified finite element model of the real cold structure shape has been set up, by using the same properties which came out from initial sizing of the cylindrical structure. Modal analyses have been carried out to verify natural frequencies compatibility with the launcher, with iterations on design. Once launcher compatibility was fulfilled, static strength and global buckling analyses have been carried out against launch and landing load factors showing a good behavior of the selected structural concepts for the fuselage cold structure.

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USV3: An Autonomous Space Vehicle with Re-Entry and Landing Capability

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Design Optimization of Interfacing Attachments for the Deployable Wing of an Unmanned Re-Entry Vehicle

Design Optimization of Interfacing Attachments for the Deployable Wing of an Unmanned Re-Entry Vehicle

Dynamic loads evaluation for the USV3-PRIDE robotic arm qualification

Conceptual design of the composite sandwich fuselage of a re‐entry vehicle

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