Ceramic thermal protection system (TPS) is bonded to the skin of a hypersonic vehicle through a strain isolation pad, and the separation of the TPS will affect the safety of the vehicle. In this paper, the aeroheating of the separation zone for the ...

Multiple gravity-assist (MGA) trajectory design requires the solution of a mixed-integer programming problem to find the best sequence among all possible combinations of candidate planets and dates for spacecraft maneuvers. Current approaches require ...

This study presents in-orbit demonstrations of a deep learning attitude sensor (DLAS) aboard the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) small-satellite, Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite 1. The DLAS is a spaceborne component that ...

The dynamic characteristics of a two-step deployable bidirectional solar array system with flexible panels and clearance joints are studied in this paper. Driving mechanisms, closed cable loop configurations, and latch mechanisms are considered in this ...

In the framework of the VEGA Consolidation and Evolution Preparation Program, carried out by the European Space Agency to develop the VEGA-C launcher, several aerodynamic design activities have been performed with the help of both numerical and ...

This paper discusses a flush air-data sensing (FADS) system for a sharp-nosed hypersonic vehicle designed to estimate flight air data in real time at hypersonic speeds. The design’s target condition is Mach 5.0 to 7.0 with an angle of attack within 5 deg. ...

This paper revisits the subject of reentry roll resonance, which occurs when the roll rate and pitch frequency become equal in a spinning reentry vehicle. A first-principles model is developed and analyzed numerically and by using a reduced-order pendulum ...

Designing optimal transfer trajectories and reference orbit tracking in binary asteroid systems is both challenging and computationally expensive. This paper proposes a method of bypassing the high computational overhead by leveraging a collection of ...

This study considers the latest three-dimensional impact angle guidance based on the state-dependent differential Riccati-equation (SDDRE) scheme, and it presents novel theories that efficiently guarantee the SDDRE’s applicability and largely reduce the ...

Space-based optical monitoring systems have become promising options for space situational awareness with their advantages of observation range, duration, and quality. The dual-altitude band coverage evaluation of optical sensors is fundamental to ...

Recently, NASA has pushed for returning humans to the moon sustainably with in situ resource utilization as the central focus. The moon has an abundance of water that is proposed to be electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen to be used as propellant. Other ...

In the space industry, the sine vibration test prediction of a spacecraft is approached numerically by exploiting the spacecraft finite element model (FEM). A frequency response analysis is run for this purpose, and the spacecraft is assumed in hard-...

To extend the usability of solar sails in the sun–Earth–moon system, we analyze the transfer trajectories from the 9:2 Earth–moon near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) to halo orbits around the sun–Earth L1 and L2 points under the assumption of a future ...

The initiation and growth of turbulent spots in transitional hypersonic boundary layers can influence the transition length and the distribution of heat transfer and skin friction through the transitional region. There is debate in the literature about ...

Origami-based structures have expanded in recent years due to new mathematical formulations along with materials that can achieve the bending requirements, often in the form of composites. While current methods of manufacturing can produce complex ...

Level sensors are widely used in the aerospace field to measure the quantity of propellant. Especially, measuring the quantity of the propellant is very important in launch vehicles because the performance of launch vehicles strongly depends on the weight ...

Arcs on the solar arrays appear to be the most plausible source for the electromagnetic radiation observed with the Arecibo radio telescope. In the laboratory, electrostatic discharges (arcs) on solar array coupons were studied in a simulated ...

To reduce aerodynamic heat and drag, and thus improve the speed of hypersonic vehicles, opposing jet technology has become a research focus because of its excellent heat and drag reduction effect. In this paper, Navier–Stokes equations, the shear stress ...

A direct adaptive scheme is presented as an alternative approach for minimum-fuel low-thrust trajectory design in non-coplanar orbit transfers using fitness landscape analysis (FLA). The spacecraft dynamics is modeled with respect to modified equinoctial ...

The problem of passive safety between spacecraft is studied in this paper by means of backward reachable sets and orbital element differences. These reachable sets characterize the initial states that enter a swept region around a designated spacecraft ...

Relative motion models provide a method of directly describing the position and velocity of a deputy spacecraft with respect to a chief spacecraft. Common approaches such as the Clohessy–Wiltshire equations describe relative motion in a rotating orbit ...

The ESA/JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) BepiColombo mission is currently in its cruise phase and is set to reach Mercury in late 2025. The spacecraft is equipped with advanced radio-tracking instrumentation that provides accurate radiometric ...

The Koopman Operator (KO) theory is applied to generate an analytical solution of dynamical systems. The approach proposed in this work exploits a novel derivation of the KO with orthogonal polynomials to represent and propagate uncertainties, where the ...