Launch Vehicle Systems Design and Engineering

Each attendee receives a PDF copy complete class notes plus a Certificate of Completion.

Space mission designers and operations managers, satellite and launch vehicle systems engineers, payload systems engineers and integrators. Launch vehicle subsystem engineers, space industry analysts and satellite operators. Aerospace industry and government consultants. Technologists involved in the projecting space applications into the future.

Fundamentals of launch vehicle systems design and engineering. Key launch vehicle design rules of thumb and sanity checks. Fundamental performance trade-offs for users and designers. Design impacts of the launch environment, performance requirements and operational constraints. Launch site selection and requirements. How launchers stack up on a cost-per-pound basis. Important launch vehicle subsystems interactions and trade-offs. Launcher trends including new international and commercial vehicles. Basic launch vehicle acquisition and selection criteria.

1. Elementary Definitions and Principles of Launching Objects into Orbit.
Basic functions of a launch vehicle. Principles of staging and the rocket equation. Types
of missions for launch vehicles. Worldwide survey of operational launch vehicles and
their characteristics. Launch sites and resulting limitations on missions.

2. Fundamental Technologies for Launch Vehicle Design.
Historical overview. Basic terms and definitions. Introduction to the physics and
coordinate systems used in launch vehicle analyses. Analytical techniques and software
tools for designers and users.

3. Launch Vehicle Components and Subsystems.
The minimum set of elements that makes up a launch vehicle. Survey of subsystems
and fundamental interactions. Fundamental trade-off parameters in the design
process. Availability of components and subsystems.

4. Subsystem Technologies in the Design Process.
Launch loads and events. Structural design and stress analysis. Thermal system design.
Determination of aerodynamic properties and heating. Avionics and ascent guidance
subsystems. Navigation systems, including inertial and GPS-assisted. Ordnance systems
for ignition and flight termination. Range safety requirements and constraints.

5. Propulsion Subsystems for Launch Vehicles.
Solid rocket motors versus liquid rocket engines. Off-the-shelf motors and engines.
New developments in rocket propulsion and engine selection. Performance parameters
and how to use them. Availability of propulsion systems and subsystems.

6. Ascent Trajectory Design.
Basic equations of ascent dynamics. Energy losses due to gravitational attraction and
aerodynamic drag. Survey of parameters affecting the ascent trajectory, including
max-Q and max Q-alpha. Subtleties of launch site selection and ascent design rules.

7. Launch Environments for the Payload.
Descriptions of acceleration, shock, acoustic and vibration environments during ascent.
Impact of launch environment on the payload and its design. Case studies of launch
environments.

8. User Defined Launch Vehicle Requirements.
Mission launch needs and objectives that drive the payload envelope, performance,
trajectory design and environmental limitations. Allocation of fundamental interfaces
between launch vehicle and payload (e.g., guidance, navigation, control, propulsion
and telemetry) based on cost, reliability and risk. Launch provider selection criteria
and basic contractual documents.

9. Systems Engineering Practices and Considerations.
Systems requirements and specifications. Testing philosophy. Assembly and launch site
considerations. Impact of range safety requirements. Keys to reducing launch costs.
Launch licensing, countdown sequencing, insurance and practical constraints.

10. Future Satellite Launch Systems.
Comparison of the new generation of launch vehicles and what they have to offer. In
depth review of several vehicles including Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, Virgin Orbit, etc.