Watt Linkage–Based Legged Deployable Landing Mechanism for Reusable Launch Vehicle: Principle, Prototype Design, and Experimental Validation

The reusable launch vehicle (RLV) presents a new avenue for reducing cost of space transportation. The landing mechanism, which provides landing support and impact absorption, is a vital component of the RLV at final stage of recovery. This study proposes a novel legged deployable landing mechanism (LDLM) for RLV. The Watt-II six-bar mechanism is adopted to obtain the preferred configuration via the application of the linkage variation approach. To endow the proposed LDLM with advantages of large landing support region, lightweight, and reasonable linkage internal forces, a multi-objective optimization paradigm is developed. Furthermore, the optimal scale parameters for guiding the LDLM prototype design is obtained numerically using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) evolutionary algorithm. A fully-functional scaled RLV prototype is developed by integrating the gravity-governed deploying scheme to facilitate unfolding action to avoid full-range actuation, a dual-backup locking mechanism to enhance reliability of structure stiffening as fully deployed, and a shock absorber (SA) with multistage honeycomb to offer reliable shock absorbing performance. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LDLM is capable of providing rapid and smooth deployment (duration less than 1.5 s) with mild posture disturbance to the cabin (yaw and pitch fluctuations less than 6°). In addition, it provides satisfactory impact attenuation (acceleration peak less than 10g (g is the gravitational acceleration)) in the 0.2 m freefall test, which makes the proposed LDLM a potential alternative for developing future RLV archetype.

Adaptive saturated tracking control for solid launch vehicles in ascending based on differential inclusion stabilization

The large-range uncertainties of specific impulse,mass flow per second,aerodynamic coefficients and atmospheric density during rapid turning in solid launch vehicles(SLVs) ascending leads to the deviation of the actual trajectory from the reference one.One of the traditional trajectory tracking methods is to observe the uncertainties by Extended State Observer(ESO) and then modify the control commands.However,ESO cannot accurately estimate the uncertainties when the uncertainty ranges are large,which reduces the guidance accuracy.This paper introduces differential inclusion(DI) and designs a controller to solve the large-range parameter uncertainties problem.When above uncertainties have large ranges,it can be combined with the ascent dynamic equation and described as a DI system in the mathematical form of a set.If the DI system is stabilized,all the subsets are stabilized.Different from the traditional controllers,the parameters of the designed controller are calculated by the uncertain boundaries.Therefore,the controller can solve the problem of large-range parameter uncertainties of in ascending.Firstly,the ascent deviation system is obtained by linearization along the reference trajectory.The trajectory tracking system with engine parameters and aerodynamic uncertainties is described as an ascent DI system with respect to state deviation,which is called DI system.A DI adaptive saturation tracking controller(DIAST) is proposed to stabilize the DI system.Secondly,an improved barrier Lyapunov function(named time-varying tangent-log barrier Lyapunov function) is proposed to constrain the state deviations.Compared with traditional barrier Lyapunov function,it can dynamically adjust the boundary of deviation convergence,which improve the convergence rate and accuracy of altitude,velocity and LTIA deviation.In addition,the correction amplitudes of angle of attack(AOA) and angle of sideslip(AOS) need to be limited in order to guarantee that the overload constraint is not violated during actual flight.In this paper,a fixed time adaptive saturation compensation auxiliary system is designed to shorten the saturation time and accelerate the convergence rate,which eliminates the adverse effects caused by the saturation.Finally,it is proved that the state deviations are ultimately uniformly bounded under the action of DIAST controller.Simulation results show that the DI ascent tracking system is stabilized within the given uncertainty boundary values.The feasible bounds of uncertainty is broadened compared with Integrated Guidance and Control algorithm.Compared with Robust Gain-Scheduling Control method,the robustness to the engine parameters are greatly improved and the control variable is smoother.

Safety Assessment of Liquid Launch Vehicle Structures Based on Interpretable Belief Rule Base

A liquid launch vehicle is an important carrier in aviation,and its regular operation is essential to maintain space security.In the safety assessment of fluid launch vehicle body structure,it is necessary to ensure that the assessmentmodel can learn self-response rules from various uncertain data and not differently to provide a traceable and interpretable assessment process.Therefore,a belief rule base with interpretability(BRB-i)assessment method of liquid launch vehicle structure safety status combines data and knowledge.Moreover,an innovative whale optimization algorithm with interpretable constraints is proposed.The experiments are carried out based on the liquid launch vehicle safety experiment platform,and the information on the safety status of the liquid launch vehicle is obtained by monitoring the detection indicators under the simulation platform.The MSEs of the proposed model are 3.8000e-03,1.3000e-03,2.1000e-03,and 1.8936e-04 for 25%,45%,65%,and 84%of the training samples,respectively.It can be seen that the proposed model also shows a better ability to handle small sample data.Meanwhile,the belief distribution of the BRB-i model output has a high fitting trend with the belief distribution of the expert knowledge settings,which indicates the interpretability of the BRB-i model.Experimental results show that,compared with other methods,the BRB-i model guarantees the model’s interpretability and the high precision of experimental results.

Robust Attitude Control for Reusable Launch Vehicles Based on Fractional Calculus and Pigeon-inspired Optimization

In this paper, a robust attitude control system based on fractional order sliding mode control and dynamic inversion approach is presented for the reusable launch vehicle(RLV)during the reentry phase. By introducing the fractional order sliding surface to replace the integer order one, we design robust outer loop controller to compensate the error introduced by inner loop controller designed by dynamic inversion approach. To take the uncertainties of aerodynamic parameters into account,stochastic robustness design approach based on the Monte Carlo simulation and Pigeon-inspired optimization is established to increase the robustness of the controller. Some simulation results are given out which indicate the reliability and effectiveness of the attitude control system.

Monte Carlo simulation of stage separation dynamics of a multistage launch vehicle

This paper provides the formulation used for studing the cold and hot separating stages of a multistage launch vehicle. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to account for the off nominal design parameters of the bodies undergoing separation to evaluate the risk of failure for the separation event. All disturbances, effect of dynamic unbalance, residual thrust, separation disturbance caused by the separation mechanism and misalignment in cold and hot separation are analyzed to find out nonoccurrence of collision between the separation bodies. The results indicate that the current design satisfies the separation requirements.

Hierarchical structured robust adaptive attitude controller design for reusable launch vehicles

Reentry attitude control for reusable launch vehicles （RLVs） is challenging due to the characters of fast nonlinear dy- namics and large flight envelop. A hierarchical structured attitude control system for an RLV is proposed and an unpowered RLV con- trol model is developed. Then, the hierarchical structured control frame consisting of attitude controller, compound control strategy and control allocation is presented. At the core of the design is a robust adaptive control （RAC） law based on dual loop time-scale separation. A radial basis function neural network （RBFNN） is implemented for compensation of uncertain model dynamics and external disturbances in the inner loop. And then the robust op- timization is applied in the outer loop to guarantee performance robustness. The overall control design frame retains the simplicity in design while simultaneously assuring the adaptive and robust performance. The hierarchical structured robust adaptive con- troller （HSRAC） incorporates flexibility into the design with regard to controller versatility to various reentry mission requirements. Simulation results show that the improved tracking performance is achieved by means of RAC.

Six-DOF trajectory optimization for reusable launch vehicles via Gauss pseudospectral method

To be close to the practical flight process and increase the precision of optimal trajectory, a six-degree-offreedom（6-DOF） trajectory is optimized for the reusable launch vehicle（RLV） using the Gauss pseudospectral method（GPM）. Different from the traditional trajectory optimization problem which generally considers the RLV as a point mass, the coupling between translational dynamics and rotational dynamics is taken into account. An optimization problem is formulated to minimize a performance index subject to 6-DOF equations of motion, including translational and rotational dynamics. A two-step optimal strategy is then introduced to reduce the large calculations caused by multiple variables and convergence confinement in 6-DOF trajectory optimization. The simulation results demonstrate that the 6-DOF trajectory optimal strategy for RLV is feasible.

Technology Improvement for the High Reliability LM-2F Launch Vehicle

The Long March 2 F(LM-2F) launch vehicle, the only launch vehicle designed for manned space flight in China, successfully launched the Tiangong 2 space laboratory and the Shenzhou 11 manned spaceship into orbits in 2016 respectively. In this study, it introduces the technological improvements for enhancing the reliability of the LM-2F launch vehicle in the aspects of general technology, control system, manufacture and ground support system. The LM-2F launch vehicle will continue to provide more contributions to the Chinese Space Station Project with its high reliability and 100% success rate.

Intelligent and Autonomous Flight Technology for Launch Vehicles

This paper proposes the architecture of an intelligent flight launcher system as well as fundamental solutions to capability prediction and dynamic planning. This effort reflects the latest progress in the applications of intelligent and autonomous technology for launcher flights. The paper first describes the characteristics and capabilities of intelligent and autonomous systems and classifies various related technologies. In the context of intelligent and autonomous technology in aerospace engineering, it then focuses on technical difficulties involved with intelligent flight and reviews developments in the field. An E^3 classification model of an intelligent flight launcher is then proposed and its application scenarios are discussed. Based on an intelligent flight system configuration of the launcher, the online trajectory planning and initial value guess are examined, and vertical landing is provided as an example to explain the effects of the implementation of computational intelligence to flight systems.

LM-11--The Main Force in China＇s Small Launch Vehicles for Commercial Launch

The Long March 11 launch vehicle(LM-11) is the only solid launch vehicle within China's new-generation launch vehicle series, enabling a full spectrum of Chinese launch vehicles. Compared with other China's LM series launch vehicles, it has the shortest launch preparation time. With the characteristics of appropriate launch capability, quick response, easy-to-use, flexible operation, universal interface and strong task adaptability, LM-11 can better meet the launch requirements for various small networking satellite, replacement and for emergency use. After four successful launches, LM-11 has become the main Chinese launch vehicle oriented to the international small satellite commercial launch market.

Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization of Satellite Launch Vehicle Using Latin Hypercube Design of Experiments

The design of new Satellite Launch Vehicle （SLV） is of interest, especially when a combination of Solid and Liquid Propulsion is included. Proposed is a conceptual design and optimization technique for multistage Low Earth Orbit （LEO） bound SLV comprising of solid and liquid stages with the use of Genetic Algorithm （GA） as global optimizer. Convergence of GA is improved by introducing initial population based on the Design of Experiments （DOE） Technique. Latin Hypercube Sampling （LHS）-DOE is used for its good space filling properties. LHS is a stratified random procedure that provides an efficient way of sampling variables from their multivariate distributions. In SLV design minimum Gross Lift offWeight （GLOW） concept is traditionally being sought. Since the development costs tend to vary as a function of GLOW, this minimum GLOW is considered as a minimum development cost concept. The design approach is meaningful to initial design sizing purpose for its computational efficiency gives a quick insight into the vehicle performance prior to detailed design.

Effect of Fuselage Cross Section on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Reusable Launch Vehicles

An experimental study on examining aerodynamic characteristics of fuselage cross sections for RLVs (Reusable Launch Vehicles) was conducted at Mach number 0.3, 0.9 and 4.0 in the wind tunnel of ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Three bodies, having the same projected area and length, with and without a set of fins, were tested. Their cross sections are a circle, a square and a triangle with rounded corners. The results showed that the fuselage cross sections had large effects on aerodynamic characteristics in subsonic and transonic flow. The lift coefficient of the model having the triangular cross section with a set of the fins was larger than that of the others in high angles of attack region due to contributions of the separation vortices generated from the fuselage expanding to the wing surface.

Chinese LM-2C Launch Vehicle

Developed on the basis of the LM-2, the LM-2C was designed to launch China’s indigenous recoverable satellite. It can be used to launch a large satellite into low orbit. The LM-2C is a two-stage liquid launch vehicle updated on the basis of a long-range rocket.

Flight Record of the Long March Series of Launch Vehicles

(Continued)The 71st Launch On October 15,2003,China's first manned spaceship,Shenzhou 5,was launched by a LM-2F launch vehicle.The first Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei stayed in space for 21 hours and landed back on the Earth safely on October 16。

Flight Record of the Long March Series of Launch Vehicles

(Continued) The 75th Launch On December 30, 2003, the LM-2C/SM launch vehicle launched theTance 1 (TC-1) satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The satellite entered a super geosynchronous orbit . Launch Site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center Launch Result: Success At 03:06 Beijing time on December 30, the LM-2C/SM launch vehicle lifted off into space with TC-1 (equatorial satellite) and precisely sent the satellite into

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

OVERVIEW China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) was founded on November 16, 1957. It was the first research unit devoted to the development of launch

Flight Record of the Long March Series of Launch Vehicles

(Continued) THE 59TH LAUNCH On November 20,1999,a LM-2F launch vehicle lifted off with China’s indigenous Shenzhou 1 experimental spaceship from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.Shenzhou 1 returned to Earth on November 21 after 21 hours of in-orbit operation and circling the Earth 14 times.

Flight Record of the Long March Series of Launch Vehicles

(Continued)THE 67TH LAUNCHOn May 15, 2002, a LM-4B launch vehicle lifted off with FY-1D meteorological satellite and HY-1A oceanic satellite from Tai-yuan Satellite Launch Center and

Flight Record of the Long March Series of Launch Vehicles

(Continued)THE 67TH LAUNCHOn May 15, 2002, a LM-4B launch vehicle lifted off with FY-1D meteorological satellite and HY-1A oceanic satellite from Tai-yuan Satellite Launch Center and

Long March Launch Vehicles Promote Quick and Sound Development of Satellite Applications

INTRODUCTION Launch vehicles are a precondition and main carrier for space activities for human beings.Their development have directly promoted the technology of satellite applications,manned spaceflight,deep space exploration,and promoted the development of communication,navigation,environmental monitoring,resource exploitation,scientific research and so on.