Engineering Journal: Science and InnovationELECTRONIC SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PUBLICATION
Certificate of Registration Media number Эл #ФС77-53688 of 17 April 2013. ISSN 2308-6033. DOI 10.18698/2308-6033
  • Русский
  • Английский
Article

Analysis of the orbital transfer vehicle parameters in the Transporter missions

Published: 25.03.2025

Authors: Shcheglov G.A., Teterina M.V.

Published in issue: #3(159)/2025

DOI: 10.18698/2308-6033-2025-3-2432

Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Design, Construction, Production, Testing, and Operation of Aircraft

The paper presents results of analyzing design parameters of the existing small orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) used to provide the lightweight multiple launcher (LML) services in the small spacecraft rideshare launches. This task is relevant, since the LML services market niche in Russia is currently unoccupied. Organizations researching this area stay at the stage of defining requirements for the domestic OTVs. The study objective includes identifying and summarizing the key technical characteristics of the currently used OTVs based on the open source data. The paper considers OTVs used in the Transporter rideshare missions with the Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle. The research method is based on structuring and analyzing a significant array of the published data. The following commercially developed vehicles are considered: Sherpa, ION SCV, Vigoride, Orbiter, Chimera, Mira, Space Van, Optimus, and Quark-lite. Average values of the OTV design parameters are determined, which could be used to formulate requirements for a domestic analogue. The paper shows high activity of the competing companies in the OTV projects design and development. The conducted analysis of data on results of the missions demonstrates that the vehicle design and development is associated with an extremely high risk for a private developer. As of today, only three out of nine considered tugs demonstrate the completely successful missions.

The work was prepared within the frames of implementing the Program for Development of the Advanced Engineering School “System Engineering of the Rocket and Space Technology” at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

EDN TIIRFG


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