Space Rider PRIDE
Obiettivo
After the success of the IXV mission, the Space-Rider program has the objective to provide Europe for its first time of an affordable, reusable space transportation system that is capable not only to perform in orbit operation and experimentation but also to safely return on earth thus allowing payload recovery and vehicle reutilization for successive missions.
Space-Rider will be launched with VEGA C, the upgraded version of current VEGA, in low earth orbit at an altitude of 450 km and with a wide range of possible inclinations. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for a time larger than two months and afterwards it will re-enter in atmosphere and land in Santa Maria island of Azores archipelagos.
The reference mission for the spacecraft design foresees a renzez-vous with the International Space Station that will release scientific payloads to be captured by the vehicle robotic arm, stored in the cargo bay and brought on ground for exploitation. Moreover Space-Rider, that will have as main asset the flexibility in the mission management, will also be capable of performing autonomous microgravity experimentation, in orbit demonstration of technologies, earth observation and surveillance, demonstration of satellite servicing technologies.
Survival to atmospheric re-entry environment will be guaranteed by a thermal protection system based on ceramic and ablative materials and by a control system with aerodynamic control surfaces and reaction control rockets. After the hot re-entry phase the vehicle will tackle the descent phase aided by an guided parafoil that will bring the spacecraft up to a soft landing either on a runway or on an open field.
The European Space Agency has designated CIRA and Thales Alenia Space – Italia as co-prime contractors. Which in turn manage a consortium of more than 20 European company operating in the space sector. The program is currently running the phase A/B1 that will end with the definition of the system level requirement and the preliminary design. The ESA Ministerial Council that will be held in Lucerna at the end of 2016 will decide on the funding of the successive phases of the project targeting the first mission launch by the beginning od 2021.
Attività nel progetto CIRA
CIRA has the role of programmatic interface with ESA, while TAS-I guides the system engineering activities. CIRA also manages the vehicle architecture, the identifications of critical technologies and the coordination at system level of the activities related with Aerodynamics/Aerothermodynamics, Thermal Protection Systems, Descent and Landing, Aerodynamic surface control system.
Moreover, following the developments achieved in the frame of PRO.R.A. (National Aerospace Program), CIRA has the ambitious objective to implement on board of Space-Rider the following technologies:
- Ceramic Control Surfaces (flaps in advanced ceramic composite material): The activities will be run in synergy with the technological project PRO.R.A. SHS and with the involvement of Italian industrial partners
- Composite Cold Structure Component (thrust structure that transfers the load from the launcher to the spacecraft) using the anisogrid concept. These activities will be run in synergy with the technological project ICCS.
Guidance, Navigation and Control technologies and algorithms: in particular, CIRA contribution will be focused on the Terminal Area Energy Management phase, where the heritage of the USV CIRA project will be exploite.
Programma
Programma Space-RIDER – Space Reusable Integrated Demonstrator for Europe Return
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data inizio:
Thursday, March 31, 2016
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durata:
64.00
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
115
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
PRIDE
Space - Technology Integration and Flight Demostrators, On Board Systems and ATM, Structures and Materials, Aerothermodynamics
Space-Rider is an European Space Agency Program devoted to the development of a reusable space transportation system capable of performing in-orbit operations as payload capturing from the International Space Station and Microgravity experimentation and then to land on a runway.
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Wind Tunnel Testing Technology, Aerothermodynamics for spatial applications, Composite Materials ＆ Basic Processes, Advanced Manufacturing Processes ＆ Technologies, Structural Analysis and Design, Structures for spatial applications, Landing gear and braking systems, Flight Control System, Aircraft Performance Analysis, Flight/Ground Tests, Fault Tolerant Systems, Security/Risk analysis, Business Modelling, Numerical Models (including Fast Time simulation), Methodology, System Design ＆ Verification for spatial applications, Mission Operation and Ground Data systems, Scenarios analysis, Life ＆ Physical Sciences, Product/Service Planning, Problem Management, Project ＆ Portfolio Management, Space Debris
