RLAV: Reusable Landing and Ascent Vehicle for the Permanent Human mOon Exploration BasE (PHOEBE)
- Paper number
IAC-08.D3.3.12
- Author
Mr. Vincent Drevet-Cadet, COREP, France
- Coauthor
Mr. Cosimo Sinesi, Italy
- Coauthor
Mr. Daniele Renzoni, Italy
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The PHOEBE (Permanent Human mOon Exploration BasE) project has been developed by a team of young engineers focused on the exploration of the Moon and Space by establishing a permanent human Moon base. The main objectives of the mission are: to have a Lunar base as outpost for future explorations; to extract and utilize in-situ resources; to boost international cooperation and technological capability; to observe deep space from a stable environment (without atmosphere and free of electromagnetic disturbances from Earth); to grant opportunities to enhance both public and private space industries; to fulfil the natural human willingness to explore and colonize; to study the Moon and the Earth-Moon system; to perform psychological and medical studies. Considering the long term objectives of the base, a Reusable Landing and Ascent Vehicle (RLAV) is necessary to ensure flexibility and periodical exchanges of the crews. The objectives of this vehicle is to link the Moon base to a Space Lagrangian Station orbiting around the Moon-Earth Lagrangian Point L1. Its duty is therefore to transfer a crew of 6 persons every 2 months and to deliver a cargo of 20 tons every mission. Its lifetime shall be 20 years or 60 missions. Considering that the sizes and masses of cargo and crews are very different, it has been decided to use two different kinds of RLAV for Cargo and for Crew.
In this paper, the different configurations (ECLS, power generation, landing gears, AOCS, Thermal subsystems, navigation and communication…) chosen for the landers are presented as well as the strategies for the landing sequences and for the ascent ones. A particular stress has been put on one of the most critical technologies necessary for this project and that is not yet available in Europe: a high thrust cryogenic throttleable engine.
The project is the result of the work done in the frame of the second edition of the International Master Course in SpacE Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS) born from a collaboration of Politecnico di Torino (Torino, Italy), SUPAERO (Toulouse, France) and Universität Bremen (Bremen, Germany) with the partnership of European Space Agencies and Industries. The aim is to meet the request emerging from the European Space Industry of a new class of high level specialists, whose main characteristics are to be educated in an international environment and to have gathered an experience in working on advanced projects in some of the most renowned Space Centres, Agencies and Companies of the European Union.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study has been performed by all the SEEDS students: Salvatore Cusumano, Vincent Drevet-Cadet, Alessandro Fimiani, Claudio Finetto, Alexander Karl, Stewart Pelle, Alessandro Rapisarda, Luigi Rega, Daniele Renzoni, Amir Sabbagh and Cosimo Sinesi. The work was supported by ESA, CNES, DLR, ASI, Thales-Alenia Space, EADS Astrium, OHB System, ZARM, Altec and all the tutors and staff from Politecnico di Torino, SUPAERO and Universität Bremen.- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.D3.3.12.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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