Half-Orbital Block of the NERVA Launcher under Romanian Development
- Paper number
IAC-08.B4.5.5
- Author
Prof. Radu Rugescu, Politechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
- Coauthor
Mr. Ioan Farcasanu, Electromecanica S. A. Ploiesti, Romania
- Coauthor
Mr. Valeriu Martin, ELAROM S.R.L., Romania
- Coauthor
Dr. Stelian Matei, AEROFINA S.A., Romania
- Coauthor
Dr. Valentin Silivestru, COMOTI, Romania
- Coauthor
Mr. Dumitru Dragomir, Flight Test Center Craiova, Romania
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The ADDA and UPB teams for space technology development present the immediately approachable steps for the accomplishment of the proprietary NERVA orbital access launching vehicle. The NERVA vehicle is a small, readily available and low cost means to demonstrate the feasibility to achieve secured sub-orbital flights with a final velocity of up to half of the local orbital velocity, at low altitude, by the conversion of retired soil-air SA-2 Guideline systems, now obsolete in Romania. The development plan involves a significant increment in the final flight altitude and velocity from the basic soil-to-air small vehicle to a half-orbital velocity vector through a series of simple design improvements. A new, superior three-axes attitude control system for the launching vehicle is also available, which may supply orbital altitude and velocity requirements with high accuracy. The management plan for the early development of the NERVA half-orbital velocity block is presented that keeps the basic solid and liquid motors unchanged, involving point improvements in the structure and control systems of the vehicle. The purpose of the presented research is to build and demonstrate a laboratory model of the new vehicle and of the functionality of the flight control system as a bench-top demonstrator. The development is grant-supported by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research and performed by a consortium of six research and industry partners in Romania.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.B4.5.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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