Comparison of glideback and flyback boosters

摘要

The aim of the present study is to investigate alternative reusable launch vehicle concepts and to provide a comparison of two different vehicle configurations. The first concept vehicle uses airbreathing engines to perform a powered booster flyback mission, whereas the second concept employs only aerodynamic lift to achieve booster flyback. The optimization software employs a system parameter optimization, in conjunction with a trajectory parameter optimization, to calculate the optimal mass split and corresponding optimal trajectory, A reference mission is used to compare launch vehicle payloads for a fixed gross liftoff weight, assuming launch from Woomera Prohibited Area, South Australia. The payload for a vehicle using a powered flyback strategy is found to be considerably higher than that obtained by a vehicle employing an aerodynamic glide return flight. References: 8