Aerocapture Mission Analysis
Investigation and Optimisation of Earth, Mars, and Venus Trajectories
J. Engelsma (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
Erwin Mooij – Mentor (TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
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Abstract
Similar to any industry, a constant effort in the aerospace industry is cost reduction. For space missions the cost is proportional to the launch mass. One method for reducing the launch mass is to incorporate specialised manoeuvres in the trajectory that reduce the propellant mass required. One such manoeuvre is the aerocapture. Aerocapture uses a single pass through the atmosphere to reduce the orbital energy to transition from an open to a closed orbit. The aerocapture manoeuvre was studied using numerical simulations and rudimentary bank angle control. Using this approach, a theoretical optimal aerocapture trajectory was developed. Furthermore, the limits of the initial conditions for which aerocapture is possible were obtained. It was found that for initial conditions within this region a mass roughly equal to the dry mass of the vehicle could be saved when comparing the propellant mass required for propulsive capture to that required for aerocapture.