Andreas Stamminger

The Shefex Flight Experiment - Pathfinder Experiment for a Sky Based Test Facility

On Thursday, October 27th, 2005 the SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment SHEFEX has been successfully launched at the Andoya Rocket Range in northern Norway. The project, being performed under responsibility of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) flew on top of a two-stage solid propellant sounding rocket. One purpose of the experiment is the investigation of possible new shapes for future launcher or re-entry vehicles applying a shape with facetted surfaces and sharp edges and to enable the time accurate investi-gation of the flow effects and their structural answer during the hypersonic flight from 90 km down to an altitude of 20 km. Additionally, the SHEFEX project is a starting point for a series of experiments which enable the acquisition of important knowledge in hypersonic free flight experimentation and which are an excellent test bed for new technological concepts. The present paper gives an overview about the philosophy and the layout of ex- periment and introduces preliminary outcomes of the post-flight analysis.

SHEFEX - Hypersonic Re-entry Flight Experiment Vehicle and Subsystem Design, Flight Performance and Prospects

The purpose of the Sharp Edge Flight Experiment (SHEFEX) was to investigate the aerodynamic behavior and thermal problems of an unconventional shape for re-entry vehicles comprising multi-facetted surfaces with sharp edges. The main object of this experiment was the correlation of numerical analysis with real flight data with respect to the aerodynamic effects and structural concept for the thermal protection system (TPS). The Mobile Rocket Base of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) was responsible for the test flight of SHEFEX on a two-stage unguided solid propellant sounding rocket, which was required to provide a velocity of the order of Mach 7. The SHEFEX vehicle was launched on the 27th of October 2005 from the Andoya Rocket Range, Norway. This paper presents the main design features of the vehicle and subsystems, the flight performance and the current plans for our next hypersonic project.

MORABA - Overview on DLR's Mobile Rocket Base and Projects

Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA), a division of the Space Operations and Astronaut Training Department of DLR (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt) provides the national and international scientific community with the opportunity to prepare and implement rocket and balloon born experiments. The fields of research includes aeronomy, astronomy, geophysics, material science and hypersonic research and are conducted in cooperation with a variety of international patners. In addition satellite missions can be supported by mobile tracking radars for trajectory determination and TT&C mobile ground stations. MORABA also offers a number of mechanical and electrical systems for use on rocket, balloon and short term satellite missions. During the last four decades more than 250 campaigns have been performed in Antarctica, Australia, Brazil, France, Greenland, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden and USA. Depending on the scientific objective, an appropriate launch range is selected and complemented or fully equipped with MORABA’s mobile infrastructure, such as launcher, telemetry and tracking stations. MORABA supplies the suitable converted military surplus or commercial launch vehicles, as well as all necessary mechanical and electrical subsystems to the customers. This paper gives an overview of the MORABA infrastructure for sounding rocket launching and satellite TT&C. A short survey of MORABA projects of the last two years and the next two years is also provided.

Main Achievements of the Rocket Technology Flight Experiment ROTEX-T

Based on experience gathered during the hypersonic flight experiments SHEFEX-I and SHEFEX-II the German Aerospace Center (DLR) performed the extensively instrumented flight experiment ROTEX-T (ROcket Technology EXperiment-Transition). ROTEX-T was successfully launched on 19th July 2016 at 06:05 am CEST from the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna in northern Sweden. Students of the RWTH Aachen University supported the design of the project with numerical simulations. ROTEX-T was a low cost flight experiment mission without inertial measurement unit, reaction control and parachute system. The payload reached an altitude of 183 kilometers, performed a ballistic re-entry with a total flight time of approximately 446 seconds and was afterwards recovered by helicopter. An unique and modular data acquisition system with sampling rates of 20 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz and 2000 kHz was developed for ROTEX-T to study also instationary aerothermal phenomena.

Operation of solid rockets in comparison with hybrid rockets during the STERN project

In April 2012, the German Aerospace Center DLR launched a support program for students to develop, build and launch their own rockets over a period of three years. The program goes by the acronym STERN (STudentische Experimental-RaketeN). The primary goal of the STERN program is to inspire students in the subject of space transportation through hands-on activities within a project structure, to motivate universities to supervise and support the student projects with the help of financial support and to increase the lecture activities in the field of launcher and propulsion systems. The program is supported by funds from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and managed by the DLR Space Administration. There are no limits regarding flight altitude or the propulsion systems used by the student teams. The students are free to develop, test and launch their own rocket, or purchase a commercial propulsion system. The main demands for each student project are that (1) the rocket shall reach a velocity of at least Mach 1. Moreover (2) the rocket must have a telemetry system to transmit key trajectory and housekeeping data back to earth during flight and provide information to the students including the rocket altitude. (3) It must have a recovery system. Currently, eight German universities are participating in the STERN-program. In October 2015, the first launch campaign was scheduled in ESRANGE, Sweden. Two solid and two hybrid rockets were launched. Ground and mission operation processes are highly complex and involve a wide variety of technologies. The operation of hybrid rocket motors requires a different kind of care and supervision in comparison to the procedures for a solid rocket motor. This paper describes launch procedures and shows that the vehicle design has a major impact on ground facilities, ground safety and operations.

MORABA - Operational Aspects of Launching Rockets

Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA), a division of the Space Operations and Astronaut Training Department of DLR (German Aerospace Center) provides the national and international scientific community with the opportunity to prepare and implement rocketand balloon-borne experiments. The fields of research include aeronomy, astronomy, geophysics, material science and hypersonic research and are conducted in cooperation with a variety of international partners. In addition satellite missions can be supported by mobile tracking radars for trajectory determination and TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking & Command) mobile ground stations. MORABA also offers a number of mechanical and electrical systems for use on rocket, balloon and short term satellite missions. Since 1967 more than 250 campaigns have been performed in Antarctica, Australia, Brazil, France, Greenland, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the USA. Depending on the scientific objectives, an appropriate launch range is selected and complemented or fully equipped with MORABA’s mobile infrastructure, such as launcher, telemetry, telecommand and tracking stations. MORABA procures the suitable converted military surplus or commercial launch vehicles, as well as all necessary mechanical and electrical subsystems to the customers. This paper gives an overview of the MORABA infrastructure for sounding rocket launching and satellite TT&C. A short survey of MORABA support of several satellite projects in the past is also provided