Flight Control Role in RLV Configuration Development

Abstract

A new optimization technique was used to aide in the selection of aerodynamic surfaces and Thrust Vectoring Control (TVC) based on maximizing control margin during ascent and entry portions of the trajectory. In order to meet the mass fraction requirement of RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle), every substructure needed to be carefully designed to minimize the dry mass. The trajectory was designed to deliver the payload required for each mission subject to thermal and structural constraints. At each point on the trajectory the angle of attack and Mach number pair was used to calculate the control power required to trim and to stabilize the vehicle. The new optimization technique was based on finding the configuration that minimizes the control power peaks along the entire trajectory.