Title:
Starsaber: A Small Payload-Class TSTO Vehicle Concept Utilizing Rocket-Based Combined Cycle Propulsion

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aiaa_2001-3516.pdf (205.17 KB)
Author(s)
St. Germain, Brad David
 Olds, John R.
 McIntire, James
 Nelson, Douglas K.
 Weglian, John E.
 Ledsinger, Laura Anne
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Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics was established in 1931, with a name change in 1962 to the School of Aerospace Engineering
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http://hdl.handle.net/1853/8400
Abstract
This paper introduces Starsaber, a new conceptual launch vehicle design. Starsaber is a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle capable of putting a 300 lb class payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). The vehicle is composed of a reusable winged booster, powered by two hydrocarbon fueled ejector ramjet (ERJ) engines, and a LOX/RP-1 expendable upper stage. The vehicle utilizes advanced structural and thermal protection system (TPS) materials, as well as advanced subsystems. Details of the conceptual design process used for Starsaber are given in this paper. Disciplines including mass properties, internal and external configuration, aerodynamics, propulsion, trajectory simulation, aeroheating, and cost estimation are used in this study. A baseline design was generated, and a 2-level 15-variable Taguchi L16 array was used to determine key system variables' influence on vehicle weight and cost. Based on these preliminary results, the Starsaber vehicle was optimized for both minimum weight (gross and dry weight) and recurring cost. The lowest recurring cost vehicle was estimated to have a recurring cost per flight of $2.01M, a gross liftoff weight of 168,000 lb and a booster length of 77 ft.
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2001-07
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210094 bytes
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