• Home
  • Current congress
  • Public Website
  • My papers
  • root
  • browse
  • IAC-09
  • A3
  • I
  • paper
  • AEROFAST: AEROcapture for Future spAce tranSporTation

    Paper number

    IAC-09.A3.I.3

    Author

    Mrs. Hélène Réquiston-Costantini, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Mr. Philippe Augros, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Mr. Jean-Marc BOUILLY, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Mrs. Francine Bonnefond, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Mr. Stéphane Reynaud, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Mr. Uwe Westerholt, EADS Astrium Space Transportation GmbH, Germany

    Year

    2009

    Abstract
    The aerocapture is a new technology for Solar System exploration that uses a single pass through a planetary atmosphere to decelerate the spacecraft and achieve a targeted orbit. Its main interest is that such manoeuvre saves a significant amount of mass with regard to a more conventional technique of insertion using propelled braking. An important step to allow for human expansion into the solar system is to develop advanced transportation systems to transport humans and cargo between GEO and LEO, and also returning them from the Moon or from Mars. Typically such a vehicle could rely on aerocapture to be mass effective: using atmospheric drag to slow space vehicles is regarded as one of the largest contributors to making Martian missions affordable.
    
    Aerocapture on Mars is for the time being not currently studied by the space agencies. This is the reason why the AEROFAST project was proposed in the frame of the seventh European Community Framework Programme (FP7), as a typical research and development project. Its aim is to prepare for such a mission demonstration and increase the TRL (Technology Readiness Level). Aerocapture technology is at TRL 2 to 3 in Europe. In order to use the aerocapture technology for operational missions while mitigating future development risks, the TRL of such a technology must reach the level 6. TRL 6 shall be reached through a flight demonstration study preferably performed with the Martian conditions in order to prepare for the future Mars Sample Return missions (first potential missions to use the aerocapture technology).
    
    Because of the high heat flux, aerocapture requires a thermal protection system to shield the spacecraft from aerodynamic heating, as well as the use of a guidance system to assure that the spacecraft leaves the planetary atmosphere on the correct trajectory. The aim of this paper is to present the project and provide a status with respect to the different objectives of the project:
    
    OBJ1:	 Define a project of aerocapture demonstration (planet to be assessed).
    
    OBJ2:	Make a significant progress in space transportation by increasing the TRL of the planetary relative navigation and the aerocapture algorithm up to 5.
    
    OBJ3:	Build a breadboard to test in real time the pre-aerocapture and aerocapture GNC algorithms.
    
    OBJ4:	Demonstrate/prototype the thermal protection system for such a mission.
    
    OBJ5:	Define on-board instrumentation for aerocapture phase recovery.\end{enumerate}
    Abstract document

    IAC-09.A3.I.3.pdf

    Manuscript document

    IAC-09.A3.I.3.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

    To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.