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1. TECHNOLOGY OF REUSABLE LAUNCH
VEHICLE FOR SATELLITE
Presentation by
Milan Kumar- 2101001
Ankit Raj- 2101061
Ritik RAJ- 2101023
Devashish Chandra- 2101053
Department of Mechanical Engineering
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PATNA
FEBRUARY 2024

2. INTRODUCTION
• A Reusable Launch Vehicle has
the parts that can be recovered
and retrieve while carrying
payloads.
A Reusable launch
vehicle (RLV)
refers to a vehicle
which can be used
for several
missions.
• Ideally it takes off vertically on the
back of an expendable rocket and
then glides back down like an
aircraft.
Rocket stages are
the most common
launch vehicles
parts aimed for
reuse.
• The main advantage of an RLV is it
can be used multiple times,
hopefully with low servicing costs.
During landing
phase, an RLV can
either land on a
runway or perform
a splashdown.
Fig 1 : Satellite being separated from rocket

3. H!STORY
The thought of Reusable launch vehicles started
in 1950’s,
But serious attempts at completely reusable
launch vehicles started in the 1990s.
The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO)'s RLV Technology Demonstration
Programme started in 2012.
The Space Shuttle orbiter, SpaceShipTwo,
Dawn Mk-II Aurora are examples for a
reusable space vehicle.
Fig 2 : NASA picture of the DC-XA

4. PRESENT
SpaceX is a recent player succeeding in
converting its Falcon 9 Expandable launch
vehicle into a partially reusable vehicle.
ISRO successfully conducted the
test of Reusable Launch Vehicle
Autonomous Landing Mission
April 2,2023.
Many space agencies both private and
public, are developing partial and fully
reusable launch vehicles.
Fig 3 : SpaceX launching its RLV satellite

5. Need / why RLV ?
•Cost of rocket is very high.
If reusability is done then
only cost of fuel and payload
applicable for space access.
Time to refurbish a rocket is
lesser than to build a new rocket
Inter planetary travel become easier
and space debris is minimized. Fig 4 : ISRO’s reusable launch vehicle success

6. On 23 November 2015, Blue Origin New Shepard rocket became the first proven Vertical Take-off
Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket which can reach space 100.5 kilometers.
Fig 5 : Blue origin’s first rocket launch Fig 6 : Blue origin’s various stages of reusable launch vehicle technology

7. WORKING OF RLV
Subsonic and
supersonic stage
Upto about
100,000 feet or
30 km.
Use a
combination of
conventional jet-
engine and
ramjet engine.
Plane is
accelerated to a
speed of mach 4
or mach 5
Hypersonic
stage
At an altitude of
about 100,000
feet and at a
velocity of about
mach 4.
Combustion and
ignition takes
place in
milliseconds.
Scramjet engines
takes RLV to
mach 15.

8. • Rocket engines are fired as there isn’t enough
oxygen for scramjet engines.
• RLV is accelerated to mach 25.
• Rocket engine takes RLV to payload release site
and required operations are performed.
Space stage
• RLV performs de-orbit operations to slow itself
down.
• It drops to lower orbit and enters upper
atmospheric layers.
• RLV uses its aerodynamics to glide down once it
reaches dense air.
Re Entry
Stage

9. DESIGN OF AN RLV
The body: The Body has to withstand very high stresses.It has to
cope with the rapid change in temperatures which changes from
-250°C in shade to 250°C in direct sunlight.
Wings: Delta wings provides enough lift to fly to space and also
reduce the friction during re-entry.
Cockpit: Cockpit has double-paned glass windows which can
withstand the force of flight, pressure and vacuum.
Oxygen bottles: Oxygen bottles are used to add breathable air.
An absorber system which removes the exhaled carbon dioxide.

10. STAGES TO ORBIT
 Single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) reaches the space orbit carrying small
payloads of 9,000 to 20,000kg without losing any hardware to LEO.
 Two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO or DSTO) are two independent vehicles which
interactions while launching.
 Cross Feed has two or three similar stages are stacked side by side, a nd
burn in parallel. They carry heavy payloads to outer space.

11. VERTICAL LANDING
Parachutes could be used to land vertically, either at sea, or with the use of small
landing rockets, on land.
Rockets could be used to soft land the vehicle on the ground from the subsonic speeds
reached at low altitude.
This typically requires about 10% of the landing weight of the vehicle to be propellant.
Alternately, autogyro or helicopter rotor. This requires perhaps 2-3% of the landing
weight for the rotor

12. RETRO-PROPULSION/ BACKWARD
PROPULSION
Retro-propulsion means firing your rocket engines against
your velocity vector in order to decelerate.
The vehicle fires its rockets towards the surface to slow the
craft’s descent, after parachutes had already brought it below
the speed of sound.
It is very expensive in the sense that the fuel required for
landing must be carried to space, which erodes the useable
payload capacity of the launch system.
Fig 7 : Retro-propulsion landing

13. Mid-Air Recovery (MAR)
 This approach a voids high impact
accelerations and/or emersion in salt water.
 The reentering vehicle is slowed by me a ns of
parachutes, and then a specially equipped aircraft
matches the vehicle's trajectory and catches it in mid-
a i r.
 MA R c a n be up to (and beyond) a 10ton payload. It
has been suc c essfully demonstrated for 1000 lbs class
objects.
Fig 8 : KeyHole satellite film mid-air recovery

14. Fig 9 : Various stages from launching to landing used in RLV’s

15. PREPARING FOR REUSE
🞅 The vehicle requires extensive inspection and refurbishment.
🞅 Each and every part of the launch vehicle needed to be
individually inspected.
 For example the orbiter’s thermal protection tiles needed to be
individually inspected (and potentially replaced).
🞅 Main engines needed to be removed to undergo extensive inspection
and overhaul.
🞅 Parts contaminated with ocean salt water and had to be cleaned,
disassembled, and refurbished before reuse.

16. Economy of
reuse
🞅The general cost estimation for
a n expendable launch vehicle
varies from $15000 to $20000/KG.
🞅 Whereas a reusable launch
vehicle cost j
ust varies between
$200-$2000/KG.
Fig 10 : Graph between cost vs launches for various launching system

17. AIRBREATHING ENGINE
APPROACH
Working Principle:
• Intake
• Compression
• Combustion
• Exhaust
Efficiency:
• Optimal at High Speeds
• Not Suitable for Low Speeds
Advantages:
• Reduced Fuel Weight
• Extended Range
Challenges:
• Speed Limitations
• Complexity
Fig 11 : Basic components of a turbofan engine

18. TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED FOR REUSABLE
LAUNCH FEASIBILITY
Structural Material
Heat Shielding
Landing Mechanism
Propulsion System
Fig 12 : Various parts of the landing system used in RLV’s

19. Literature review
Author: Elon Musk
• Application: SpaceX's Falcon 9
• Methodology: Vertical landing technology
• Objectives: Cost-effective access to space, reusability for multiple missions
• Key Findings: Significant reduction in launch costs, increased frequency of space missions
Author: Blue Origin Team (Jeff Bezos)
• Application: New Shepard Suborbital Rocket
• Methodology: Vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL)
• Objectives: Suborbital tourism, microgravity research
• Key Findings: Advancements in suborbital spaceflight, paving the way for future orbital reusable vehicles
Author: European Space Agency (ESA)
• Application: Prometheus Engine Development
• Methodology: Liquid Oxygen-Methane propulsion
• Objectives: Sustainable and reusable propulsion for future launch vehicles
• Key Findings: Progress in developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective propulsion systems

20. Author: Jeff Greason et al.
• Application: XCOR Aerospace's Lynx Suborbital Vehicle
• Methodology: Horizontal takeoff and horizontal landing (HTHL)
• Objectives: Responsive and frequent suborbital flights
• Key Findings: Advancements in horizontal landing technology, potential for rapid turnaround
between flights
Author: NASA
• Application: Space Shuttle Program
• Methodology: Orbital Spaceplane System
• Objectives: Human spaceflight, satellite deployment, and space station resupply
• Key Findings: Historical perspective on the challenges and benefits of reusable space vehicles
Author: Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic)
• Application: VSS Unity Spaceplane
• Methodology: Air launch from carrier aircraft
• Objectives: Suborbital space tourism
• Key Findings: Advancements in air-launch technology, opening up commercial space travel possibilities

21. Conclusion
 Reusable launch systems have the highest development costs and
technical risks.
 RLV reduce cost very much by avoiding repeatedly making of new use
and throw launch vehicles.
 Technology is within current state of the art.
 Current efforts to economically recover and reuse launch vehicle
elements are more promising than they have ever been.
 International Space Station needs periodical replenishment and may
need other support missions from earth even at short notice.RLVs
become very useful in these circumstances.

23. References Research Papers
Musk, E. (2017). "Making Life Multiplanetary." International Astronautical
Congress.
Bezos, J. (2019). "Blue Origin's Road to Space." International Astronautical
Congress.
Rees, M. (2018). "The Economics of Reusable Launch Vehicles." Space Policy, 44,
28-31.
Braun, R. D., & Manning, R. M. (2016). "Space Launch System and Commercial
Reusable Launch Vehicles: Finding the Balance." Acta Astronautica, 126, 157-166.
Anderson, J. D. (2018). "Spaceplane Design Challenges and Opportunities."
Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 100, 1-26.