The IXV Development Status and Perspectives. Giorgio Tumino Directorate of Launchers European Space Agency

Transcription

1 The IXV Development Status and Perspectives Giorgio Tumino Directorate of Launchers European Space Agency 7th European Workshop on TPS-HS, Noordwijk (NL), 8th April 2013

2 The IXV Development Status and Perspectives Contents of the Presentation: The Mission The Flight Segment The Ground Segment The Launch Campaign The Plan-at-Completion The Short-term Perspectives The Long-term Perspectives 2

3 The Mission Objective: The IXV is the intermediate element of a European roadmap enabling future operational system developments for a wide range of space applications at limited risks for Europe. The main mission objective is to perform the step forward with respect to the precursor ARD, by verifying in-flight the critical re-entry technologies performance (e.g. TPS and HS) against a wider re-entry corridor, while increasing the system performance in manoeuvrability, operability and precision landing. Description: The trajectory is equatorial, to comply with the minimization of the experimental flight over inhabited regions, and the maximisation of the VEGA launcher performance and its stages fall-out, where the IXV maximum altitude is set above 400 km, providing an entry velocity at the impact with the atmosphere of 7.5 km/s, fully representative of LEO return mission. 3

4 Spacecraft Configuration: The spacecraft configuration is stable and characterized by a length of 5.0 m, widthof2.2 m, height of 1.5 m. From the outer to the inner layers, it includes the TPS and HS, the Structural Panels, the various Equipments. From the front to the back compartments, it includes the Avionics, the Parachute, the Propulsion Panel, the Thrust Cylinder, the Control Actuators. 4

5 TPS and HS Subsystems Activities: The thermal protection architecture is based on ceramic material for the nose, windward, hinge and body flaps, and ablative material for the lateral, leeward and base areas. The windward area is protected by ceramic matrix composite C-SiC panels (shingles), with lightweight ceramic insulations (alumina/silica), and specific attachments made of superalloy bolts, flexible stand-offs, ceramic thermal barrier washers, and ceramic fibres seals. The nose assembly is derived from the windward technology to maximise synergies. 5

6 TPS and HS Subsystems Activities: The design of the hinge and body flap assembly is based on ceramic Keraman C/SiC, providing highly integral components complying with combined thermal, mechanical and vibration loads, interfaces and mass constraints. 6

7 TPS and HS Subsystems Activities: The lateral, leeward and base areas are protected by ablative TPS, with an external coating providing antistatic properties and proper thermo-optical characteristics. The bonding of the tiles on the cold structure is assured through an epoxy-based structural adhesive. The gaps between adjacent plates are sealed with a filler made of the same adhesive used for bonding with addition of cork granules. This avoids thermal bridge effects among the different tiles. 7

8 In-Flight Experimentation Activities: The technological objectives of the IXV mission are met by flying a large number of experiments that have been chosen among a wide range of European proposals. Since each experiment required a specific set of measurements, several synergies and commonalities were exploited to identify a global set of sensors covering all experimentation requirements. Sensors are split into conventional (i.e. 37 pressure ports, 194 thermocouples, 12 displacement sensors, 48 strain gauges) and advanced (i.e. infra-red camera). 8

9 Structural Subsystem Activities: The structure of the vehicle is based on carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), whose matrix is based on a high temperature resin selected in order to withstand the high temperature reached by the structure during the re-entry, with the design compliant with the challenging VEGA launcher requirements on stiffness, and mission requirements on strength induced by the sea landing impact. 9

10 Mechanisms Subsystem Activities: The mechanisms of the vehicle includes the panel jettisoning for the descent and recovery system deployment, and the umbilical connectors between the spacecraft and the launcher. The panels jettisoning mechanisms avoid the use of pyro-cords thanks to the avionics architecture which is compatible with the implemented nonexplosive actuators. 10

11 Electrical and Avionics Subsystems Activities: The Power subsystem is based on a 28V main bus, maximizing off-the-shelves equipment, with protected outputs, performing DC/DC conversion to 55V for the Inertial Measurement Unit, with dedicated pyrotechnic section. The Data Handling subsystem provides vital layer and experimental data acquisition, storage, recording, real time and delay transmission to the ground stations. The Radio Frequency Telemetry subsystem is based on two independent chains for vital layer and experiment telemetries. It implements frequency and polarization diversity techniques for maximum coverage and data download capability. 11

12 GNC and Software Activities: The spacecraft GNC covers the three main mission phases (i.e. orbital, re-entry, descent), thanks to the Flight Management function which interfaces on one side with the MVM (Mission and Vehicle Management), and on the other side with the three specific GNC functions (i.e. guidance, navigation and control). The SW activities include the application SW (i.e. the Mission and Vehicle Management SW), the GNC SW, thesw embedded in the equipment s (IMU, GPSR, FPCS), and, last but not least, SW for the descent and landing system synthesis test. 12

13 Descent and Recovery Subsystems Activities: The descent and recovery function is assured by two dedicated subsystems, the parachute subsystem for the descent phase, and the floatation subsystem for the recovery phase. The descent subsystem is based on a four stages parachute with consolidated technology, including one supersonic pilot, one supersonic ribbon drogue, one subsonic ribbon drogue, and one ringsail main parachute, with a mortar to extract the supersonic pilot and strap-cutters, and to separate the various parachute stages and the main parachute from the spacecraft after splash-down. 13

14 Descent and Recovery Subsystems Activities: The recovery subsystem is also based on consolidated technology, including inflation devices (i.e. gas bottles, valves, hoses), floatation devices (i.e. balloons), and localization devices (i.e. beacons). With the objective to mitigate the risk of failures occurring in the critical descent and landing phases, a dedicated Descent and Landing System Synthesis Test is planned in April 2013, where a system prototype shall be launched from a 3.0 Km altitude by an helicopter in a test range in Sardinia (I), and shall verify the last phases of the IXV mission, including descent, water splash-down, balloons inflation, floatation and recovery operations. 14

15 Flight Control Subsystems Activities: The flight control is assured by means of four 400N thrusters and two aerodynamic body flaps. The thrusters, inherited from the ARIANE 5 SCA, are located at the base of the vehicle to control the attitude around the three axes during the orbital phase, the yaw during the atmospheric re-entry, and providing additional control authority to the body flaps in pitch and roll during the re-entry phase, if required. The flaps are also located at the base of the vehicle to trim the vehicle on the longitudinal (symmetrical deflections) and lateral (unsymmetrical deflections) axes during the atmospheric reentry phase. These are actuated by two electro-mechanical-actuators (EMA), whose technology is inherited from the VEGA Zefiro thrust vector control system. 15

16 Ground Support Equipment Activities: With the objective to minimize the financial efforts of the programme, several GSE elements have been reused from past ESA programmes, such as HERSCHEL-PLANCK (Anti-Seismic Racks and Mains Insulation Transformer Units), XMM (Vertical Support Stand), GOCE (Mechanical Test Adaptor, Test & Handling Clamp Band, Structure Panel Container), CRYOSAT (Spacecraft Container). For what concerns the MGSE under development within the IXV activities, this includes the Handling Adaptor, the Spreader Beam, the Mass Dummies Structures, the Panel Hoisting Device, the Trolleys and Access Platform, the Tilting and Lifting Device, and the Physical Properties Adaptor Plate. 16

17 Ground Support Equipment Activities: For what concerns the EGSE under development within the IXV activities, this includes the RF (Radio Frequency) Suitcase, the Battery Simulator SCOE, the Umbilical SCOE, the Overall Check-Out Equipment. 17

18 Ground Support Equipment Activities: For what concerns the FGSE, this will make maximum use of equipment available at industrial premises. More specifically, it consists of: the parts owned by TAS-F, such as the existing DMRP (Dispositif Mobile de Remplissage et Pressurization), which will be used for the filling of the IXV tanks, and the PTD (Pressure Testing Device), which will be transferred to Turin at the start of the RCS integration in Q2-2013; the part owned by TAS-I, such as the portable equipment adapted to the IXV recovery operation s needs, which will be refurbished and tested in Turin during the integration campaign. 18

19 The Ground Segment The Mission Control Centre: The MCC development activities are well progressing, and the MCC is ready to undergo the qualification tests, including integrated testing with the telecommunication network and the telemetry system. 19

20 The Ground Segment The Ground Stations: For what concerns the telemetry system, the kit is ready to undergo qualification tests, and the first shelter structure is available and its acceptance was successfully performed. For what concerns the antennas, the naval transportable antenna with scan-feed tracking to be embarked on-board the recovery ship is currently under manufacturing, while the ground transportable antenna to be installed in the Archipelagos of Kiribati is planned to be rented. 20

21 The Ground Segment The Communication Network: The telecommunication network is ready to undergo the qualification tests, including the integrated testing with the MCC and the telemetry system. 21

22 The Launch Campaign Arianespace Activities: The launch campaign preparatory activities are also progressing, with the 1st Operations Meeting and Kourou Site Survey successfully held from 25th February to 1st March 2013, with the participation of Arianespace, CNES, ESA and TAS-I, addressing in details: IXV Launch Campaign Transportation and Logistics Aspects in Kourou; IXV Launch Site Operational Plan and Operational Needs; VEGA-IXV Launch Site Combined Operations and Chronology; VEGA-IXV Interfaces, including Interfaces to IXV Ground Segment; VEGA-IXV Safety Submissions Process. 22

23 The Plan-at-Completion 23

24 The Short-term Perspectives Sequence of Activities: 1. System Integration (Turin, May 13) 2. System Environmental Tests (Noordwijk, March 14) 3. Flight and Ground Segment Deployment (Worldwide, June 14) 4. Flight Segment Launch Campaign (Kourou, July 14) 5. Ground Segment Launch Campaign (Worldwide, July 14) 6. Launch and Mission into Space (August 14) 24

25 The Short-term Perspectives Post Flight Analysis: 25

26 The Long-term Perspectives The PRIDE Programme: 26

27 THANKS TO 27