Development of an end-to-end Simulator for a Re-Usable Launch Vehicle
- Paper number
IAC-07-C1.6.07
- Author
Mr. John Reid, SciSys Ltd, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Malcolm Macdonald, SciSys Ltd, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Mr. Edgar Milic, GMV S.A., Spain
- Coauthor
Dr. Guillermo Ortega, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Ms. Ana Blasco, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Year
2007
- Abstract
With the development of new concepts, such as Mars Sample Return and the associated emphasis on planetary missions, the design of the GNC systems to perform launch vehicle applications is required to become more efficient, while also attaining a suitably high level of accuracy. This paper reviews the development of a high-fidelity simulation tool, called GNC Reusable Launch Vehicle, which enables the analyst to rapidly develop GNC algorithms for either a Mars mission, represented as the Mars Sample Return scenario, or a Lunar mission represented by the Apollo 11 characteristics. The simulator consists of a closed loop system including diverse conditions such as aerodynamics, structural models (including spacecraft mass evolution, sloshing modes and centre-of-gravity modelling), thermodynamics, sensor models, Kinematics and Dynamics. Furthermore, the simulator includes Mars atmosphere modelling through use of the European Mars Climate Database v4.1 and MarsGRAM 2001. The Mars atmosphere model is capable of simulating various climate conditions upon Mars, such as low dust conditions, average dust conditions, high dust storms or high solar conditions. Parameters from these models are then integrated into the Simulink or real-time environment through a custom interface. Robust modules contained within the ESA-ESTEC standard library repository, SpaceLab, are used to create a high-fidelity simulation of Mars launch during the Mars Sample Return mission. The Lunar simulator is similarly constructed. The high-fidelity simulation has been integrated within a software application known as the Development Environment Tool; this application provides an interface to the Simulator enabling the user to vary parameters without direct use of Matlab to model any type of scenario or vehicle. The toolset enables successful control design for any launch mission applicable to a users need. The high-fidelity simulator is then autocoded and converted into a real-time simulator to be refined on the real-time testbed for further integrated GNC design. The tool is capable of simulating all stages of the launch vehicle mission from take-off through a multi-staged ascent and orbit insertion. The phase management employed within the simulator allows end-to-end propagation of the scenario through the mission phases, from surface to orbit, selecting the parameters applicable to the phase identified by the GNC. The modelling and performance assessment of the tool is presented, together with the way forward to build a high precision coupled sensor/GNC simulator. The development of this tool allows rapid analysis of new launch vehicles and their control designs, along with a detailed performance analysis that will facilitate early decision making for future Lunar and Mars programs.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-C1.6.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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