Project

Objectives

The two main scientific and technological objectives of the RETALT project are:

[su_service title=”To investigate Launch system re-usability technology of VTVL TSTO RLV ” icon=”icon: rocket” icon_color=”#0694aa” size=”32″ class=””]applying retro propulsion combined with the use of aerodynamic control surfaces which is currently dominating the global market.[/su_service]

[su_service title=”To investigate Launch system re-usability technology of VTVL SSTO RLV ” icon=”icon: rocket” icon_color=”#0694aa” size=”32″ class=””]applying retro propulsion for future space transportation systems.[/su_service]

 

To meet these two objectives two reference configurations have been defined:

  • A configuration similar to the SpaceX rocket “Falcon 9” that will be the reference for the state-of-the-art TSTO RLV.

  • A configuration similar to the DC-X that will serve as reference for a SSTO RLV.

 

The objective of the project is to raise the Technical Readiness Level (a measure of 1 to 9 of how far a technology is away from market readiness) up to 5 for most of the technologies investigated in the project and up to 3 for the Guidance and Navigation and Control system. The partners strive for concepts of reusable launch vehicle that best combine all the investigated technologies in a single design.

 

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We are convinced that it is absolutely necessary to investigate Retro Propulsion Assisted Landing Technologies to make re-usability state-of-the-art in Europe. The know-how for a rapid application of re-usability in European launchers can only come from a strong common effort of research and industry. Once re-usability has become the state-of-the-art in Europe it will impact not only the scientific community and industry of space technologies but each European citizen, as launch technologies will become more affordable and new space debris can be avoided. Additionally, the technologies investigated can be applied in other research areas and industrial sectors.

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Partners

[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”DLR” content=”The German Aerospace Center, DLR was created in 1969 as a result of the merger of several former research organisations. Today, DLR is with its approximately 8200 employees the largest research establishment for engineering sciences in Germany. DLR’s scientific-technical expertise lies with the institutes in its scientific research areas: Aeronautics, Space, Energy Technology and Transportation.

Furthermore, DLR is the National Space Administration and Project management Agency. The Supersonic and Hypersonic Technologies Department and the Spacecraft Department are part of the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology. The DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technologies has been involved in all major German and European Technology Programmes. The German Hypersonic Technology Programme SÄNGER enabled DLR to develop advanced capabilities for the experimental and numerical simulation of the aerodynamic and aerothermal behaviour of hypersonic airbreathing propulsion vehicles.

In the frame of the German Selected Space Technologies Programme ASTRA DLR studied the re-usable Liquid Fly Back Booster (LFBB) using the TMK and H2K wind tunnels and the TAU code. As a result of this study an aerodynamic database of two LFBB configurations has been established. In the same programme DLR developed the multidisciplinary IMENS tool to design high temperature space vehicle structures by means of coupling the TAU code with the structure code ANSYS. This tool has been validated by means of dedicated ground testing activities at DLR.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””]

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[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”ALMATECH” content=”Almatech is specialized in the design, manufacturing, integration and test of reliable mechanisms, ultra-stable structures and thermal hardware for the European space market. Almatech range of competencies goes from brainstorming conceptual ideas all the way to the delivery of fully tested flight hardware, including design, analysis and MAIT. Almatech has a particularly strong experience in Finite Elements Analysis (FEA) techniques for structural, thermal and dynamic design, its related justifications and analyses as well as test correlation activities.

Thanks to the outstanding expertise of Almatech’s employees we have successfully contributed to numerous European Space missions such as BepiColombo, Solar Orbiter, CHEOPS, Exomars, MetOp-SG or Sentinel-5 by delivering key hardware. As a result, Almatech is now recognized as a reliable industrial partner for the industrial leaders of the European space industry.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””]

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[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”AMORIM CORK COMPOSITES” content=”Amorim is one of the largest industrial based groups in Portugal. Its roots go back to the late XIX century and the cork stoppers production. Cork products have been around for many centuries, from primitive floating devices to the first cork stoppers used in wine amphora by the old Mediterranean civilizations. Since then, cork has been primarily associated with wine but in fact cork is used in many other applications, that were developed mainly after the WW II.

The first technical application was probably the development of composites of cork and rubber for automotive gaskets. Cork, which doesn’t absorb much engine oil, was mixed with the high swelling rubber grades available at that time in order to achieve a fully functional gasket with excellent flange conformability and load distribution.

The main application in Space is the Thermal Protection System with P50 and P45; these materials, extensively used today in both American and European space programs, are a combination of a phenolic binder and specially graded cork granules, taking advantage of cork’s unique burning properties and low density to achieve a good performance/cost ratio for specific heat flux conditions.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””]

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[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”CFS ENGINEERING” content=”CFSE offers services in the numerical simulation of fluid mechanics and structural mechanics engineering problems. It is a supplier for engineering consulting and services. With RUAG Aerospace as a main shareholder, the company is based on an industrial organization and procedures. CFSE develops since 1991 the NSMB CFD code that includes various levels of chemistry models. People working at CFSE have been involved in aerodynamics and aero-thermodynamics studies for Space vehicles for more than 30 years (both launch vehicles and re-entry vehicles). CFSE is a typical company providing innovative services. CFSE has been involved in several FP7 and H2020 funded projects and brings in their experience with H2020 projects in general and Exploitation and Dissemination in particular.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””][/su_tooltip]

[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”Elecnor Deimos” content=”Elecnor Deimos expertise covers the fields of Mission Analysis, Flight Mechanics, GNC/AOCS. Elecnor Deimos provides the complete value chain, from mission concept and definition to GNC/AOCS design and validation, as well as its implementation as an embedded on-board software definition of missions. Regarding Mission Analysis and Flight Mechanics, Elecnor Deimos addresses issues such as launch windows, ascent and re-entry profiles, and transfer trajectories or interplanetary navigation, determining the optimal mission profile to achieve a given set of objectives, and assessing the mission performance. The company also develops turn-key software solutions for the space segment. Regarding GNC/AOCS, Elecnor Deimos is a proven and leading player in GNC and AOCS for re-entry and interplanetary, and EO, from algorithms definition, prototyping, validation, implementation and testing. Elecnor Deimos has been involved in the last 13 years in many ESA and FP7/H2020 projects, and can spin in its expertise in the field of Mission Analysis, Flight Mechanics and GNC.

Elecnor Deimos’ experience in the areas of atmosphoeric flight and re-entry GNC, has importantly been flight proven, in European programs such as IXV and EXOMARS.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””]

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[su_tooltip style=”tipsy” position=”bottom” shadow=”no” rounded=”no” size=”default” title=”MT AEROSPACE” content=”MT Aerospace AG specializes in the production of components and subsystems for the aviation and aerospace industry and is a system supplier for antennas and mechatronics.

MT Aerospace is the largest German supplier of components for the successful Ariane 5 program, producing approx. 10% of the hardware including booster casings, Interstage Structure and tank domes for the central and upper stages. The company also provides a wide range of services to the European Spaceport in French Guyane, contributing significantly to the reliability and competitive position of the Ariane launch vehicle. Furthermore MT Aerospace is a trusted partner for prestigious ESA and NASA projects and commercial satellite platforms.

In the aeronautics sector main products include fiber-reinforced composite tanks and large-scale, load-bearing structures. MT Aerospace is a market leader for water tanks and main supplier to the Airbus fleet, producing 1,100 fresh- and waste water tanks each year. In addition, the company partners a wide range of programs for Airbus, Airbus Helicopters, Dassault, Embraer and Boeing.

MT Aerospace prioritizes research and development in order to explore new markets and is actively pushing the progress of expertise and technology on the German, European and international stage. In this context MT Aerospace is a trusted partner for ESA, NASA, DLR and further agencies for the execution of space research projects, studies and examinations, contributing with unique technology knowledge and engineering competencies.” behavior=”hover” close=”no” class=””]

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Activities

 

The overall objective of the RETALT project will be to investigate Launch system re-usability technologies of VTVL TSTO and SSTO RLV applying retro propulsion using two configurations: RETALT1 and RETALT2.

The concept of retro propulsion assisted vertical landing is simple in terms of number of parts needed and in the design. However, it is complex regarding the aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics and thus the flight dynamics of the vehicle. Furthermore, innovative GNC concepts, structures and mechanisms and TPS need to be developed. These fields have been identified for the study of key technologies in the RETALT project.

To obtain a well-structured work flow the project activities are grouped in the following work packages.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP1: Coordination and Management” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: DLR

WP contributors: CFS Engineering, Elecnor Deimos, MT Aerospace

WP objective:

This work package is responsible for coordinating the project from both the administrative and the technical perspectives, aiming towards achieving effective operation of the project as well as timely delivery of quality results. It covers the overall administration and management of RETALT with the following aims:

  • Ensure meeting the objectives as defined in the project plan;

  • Keeping the project schedule and guarantee the execution of the work plan and the achievement of the project goals on time and within budget;

  • Establishment of appropriate review procedures within the project;

  • Establishment of an efficient system of communications and conflict resolution procedures, also by means of collaborative environment tools to support consortium interactions;

  • Planning, monitoring and controlling project progress and outputs, and taking corrective actions;

  • Administration of the contract and project financial management;

  • Preparation of progress and management reports and reporting to the EC;

  • Coordination of participation and contribution to external events, including relevant workshops and conferences;

  • Overall quality assurance.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP2: Reference Configurations” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: DLR

WP contributors: ALMATECH, MT Aerospace

WP objective:

The main objective of this WP is the definition of the reference configurations, which will be used as baseline for the technical work packages.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP3: Aerodynamic and Aerothermal Loads” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: DLR

WP contributors: CFS Engineering

WP objective:

The objectives of this WP are experimental and numerical investigation of aerodynamics and aerothermal loads of both RETALT1 and RETALT2 configurations and creating AEDB and ATDB for the flight dynamic analysis.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP4: Flight Dynamics and GNC” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: Elecnor Deimos

WP contributors: DLR, CFS Engineering

WP objective:

The objectives of this WP are flight dynamic analysis of the RETALT1 and RETALT2 configurations and definition of GNC and control rules.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP5: Structures and TPS” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: MT AEROSPACE

WP contributors: DLR, ALMATECH, AMORIM

WP objective:

The objectives of this WP are the design of structural components, TPS and health monitoring instrumentation of both RETALT1 and RETALT2 configurations and manufacturing of test models and ground demonstrators.

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[su_spoiler title=”WP6: Dissemination and Exploitation” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: CFS ENGINEERING

WP contributors: DLR, ALMATECH, AMORIM, Elecnor Deimos, MT Aerospace

WP objective:

The objectives of this WP are to ensure that the results obtained in the RETALT project are widely communicated and to prepare the exploitation plan of these results. To this goal, the WP is organised around the following detailed actions:

  • To prepare and implement a strategy for the exploitation of the project results;

  • To ensure the communication and dissemination of the project, its results and achievements towards the target groups identified in Section 2;

To monitor the projects results for possibilities of IPR protection and Innovation potential (IPR and Innovation Management Team).

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[su_spoiler title=”WP7: Ethics Requirements” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”chevron” anchor=”” class=””]

WP leader: DLR

WP contributors: ALMATECH, AMORIM, CFS Engineering, Elecnor Deimos, MT Aerospace

WP objective:

The objective is to ensure compliance with the ‘ethics requirements’ set out in this work package.

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Concepts

 

During the three years of the project lifetime the consortium will investigate the areas of aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics (i.e. the temperatures that evolve at the surface of the vehicle during flight), flight dynamics, guidance, navigation and control, and advanced structural parts, materials and mechanisms. For this purpose, two types of rocket launchers will be investigated which both start and land in an upright position. One of them will have two stages and will be similar to conventional rockets like the Falcon 9 or the Ariane 5 (RETALT1 concept). For this launcher only the first stage will be landed again. The second launcher has only a single stage (RETALT2 concept). It will be designed for the use of smaller payloads and when returning it will break not only with retro propulsion but also with the aid of a large aerodynamic base surface at the bottom.

These rockets will not really be launched; however, they will be used as the reference configurations for the investigations of the different technologies in the project. Aerodynamic wind tunnel experiments, numerical simulations and ground tests of several components will serve to verify the outcomes of the project.

 

Conceptual sketch of the RETALT1 spacecraft. Configurations from left to right: launch, stage separation, first stage descent, first stage landing.

 

Conceptual sketch of the RETALT2 spacecraft. Configurations from left to right: launch, descent and landing.