ReFEx: Reusability Flight Experiment - A Demonstration Experiment for Technologies for Aerodynamically Controlled RLV Stages

The Reusability Flight Experiment (ReFEx) is a technology demonstration flight experiment to gain developmental and operational experience with a fully aerodynamically controlled reusable launch vehicle stage. It is slated to launch from Koonibba test range in South Australia in 2024 using a VSB- 30 sounding rocket to inject it into a trajectory typical of returning stages. Key factor is to demonstrate the capability to autonomously initiate return flight trajectory to the launch site using only aerodynamic means and reach designated waypoints. The project is currently in the final stages of AIV and organisational activities such as applying for a launch license. This paper gives an overview of the main systems and focuses on a system level FMECA approach used to identify failure response modes for the flight safety analysis

Concurrent Evaluation - An Application for DLR's Concurrent Engineering Facility

So far, DLR Bremen’s Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) is primarily used to conduct studies on Phase 0/A level and it is planned to extend this to Phase B. A corresponding approach to exploit the CE environment shall be introduced in this paper. The Institute of Space Systems is appointed as the authoritative entity for the forward planning, coordination and implementation of the German space program. One of its main functions is to serve as mediator between the national DLR Agency and the industry. Evaluating proposals by the industry on federal tenders can be seen as part of this role. On a system-level, concerning spacecraft (not instrument) development, the System Analysis Space Segment department - operator of the CEF - is designated for this task. Domain experts, usually in charge of designing spacecraft themselves, can be appointed to assess applications. This way, similar to Concurrent Engineering studies, the evaluation process can cover all subsystem as well as Mission Analysis, Cost, Risk and overall Systems aspects. Another area in which the CEF could be utilized in this context is when already flying spacecraft have to be re-evaluated because of new or changed mission objectives. Objectives can change due to failures in subsystem components or because of mission extensions. In both scenarios the system has to be optimized to conditions different from when the mission was initially projected. A task best suited for experts usually found in the CEF. The experience has shown that the concurrent approach improves the productivity as well as the quality of the performed work. The same is to be anticipated for the evaluation process. In case of failing spacecrafts, the time span of CE studies as short as one week corresponds to reaction time required in such situations. As 50% of Germany’s federal funding goes to the European Space Agencies and as many German missions are also European co-operations, DLR has an interest in supporting these as well. It could therefore also offer the evaluation process to ESA or the EU

ReFEx: Reusability Flight Experiment – A Project Overview

The Reusability Flight Experiment will help gain a flight and design data on, as well as operational experience with, a winged first stage of a reusable launch vehicle. It was first presented at the EUCASS 2017 and has evolved significantly since then. ReFEx will launch in late 2022 as a technology demonstrator using a VSB-30 sounding rocket as carrier. Once launched and after reaching altitudes and velocities similar to a first staging event, the goal is to conduct a return flight along a trajectory comparable to returning winged first stage RLVs, transitioning from hypersonic speeds down to subsonic flight

Reusability Flight Experiment (ReFEx): Flight Safety Analyses

This document describes the overall provisions for a safe flight of ReFEx. It covers the flight from booster separation to touch-down. It also contains links to all other flight safety relevant documents. It is meant as the main document to exchange flight critical information with the launch range, for their flight safety analysis and evaluation

An Update of the Upcoming DLR Reusability Flight Experiment - ReFEx

During the last International Aeronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, the Reusability Flight Experiment (ReFEx), a technology demonstrator for Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technologies, was presented for the first time. ReFEx is being developed by DLR (German Aerospace Center) to provide flight and design data on, as well as operational experience with, a winged fly-back booster concept and is slated for launch in 2021. The experiment will be launched on a VSB-30 sounding rocket to altitudes and velocities similar to a first staging event and will then attempt a return flight along a trajectory comparable to a returning winged first stage RLV, transitioning from hypersonic speeds down to subsonic velocity. The key technologies demonstrated in this vehicle are, amongst others: aerodynamic design of a vehicle capable of stable flight through many flow regimes, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) capable of on-board generation of a feasible, quasi-optimal trajectory, the seamless transition between extra- and intra-atmospheric flight controls and health monitoring of the vehicle status during flight using advanced sensors such as FOS (Fibre Optic Sensors) and FADS (Flush Air Data System). This paper will give an update of the current system design and shed some light on the current efforts to provide a safe flight with an experimental guided vehicle

The CALLISTO and ReFEx Flight Experiments at DLR - Challenges and Opportunities of a Wholistic Approach

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is currently preparing two reusable launch vehicle (RLV) flight experiments for flight - a singularly unique and valuable position in Europe. While CALLISTO (Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss back Operations) in cooperation with CNES and JAXA aims at investigating the challenges associated with propulsive vertical take-off, vertical landing, ReFEx (Reusability Flight Experiment) aims to investigate the other end of the RLV spectrum with a fully aerodynamic mode of return and horizontal landing. The goal of both experiments is to gain experience with designing, building, operating and flying RLVs, de-risk and mature the necessary technologies involved and gather data so as to provide a basis for future European RLV development and optimisation. The paper will describe both projects and their status in detail as well as highlight some of the differences and similarities of the two approaches. This will lead to the identification of key applicational areas of the two

MASCOT—The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout Onboard the Hayabusa2 Mission

International audienceOn December 3rd, 2014, the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) launched successfully the Hayabusa2 (HY2) spacecraft to its journey to Near Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu. Aboard this spacecraft is a compact landing package, MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid surface SCOuT), which was developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in collaboration with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Similar to the famous predecessor mission Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, will also study an asteroid and return samples to Earth. This time, however, the target is a C-type asteroid which is considered to be more primitive than (25143) Itokawa and provide insight into an even earlier stage of our Solar System