As rideshare launches become more available within the U.S., secondary payloads are still challenged by the limited choice of orbits and risk-adverse nature of primary payloads to allow for flexibility in the deployment sequence. The result is that a secondary payload's final orbit is limited by its host and the propulsion capability of the individual spacecraft. Many of these challenges can be met through the use of a propulsive rideshare adapter. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission demonstrated the use of a propulsive EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring to expand and enhance an existing mission by utilizing the mass margin on a lunar launch. Similar propulsive ESPA technologies can be used as a baseline to provide orbit flexibility and optimization that was previously unattainable for secondary payloads.
Mission case studies using the rideshare enabling Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle
01.03.2015
1609431 byte
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch