ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THERMO-STRUCTURAL INTEGRATED SYSTEM IN THE SARA SUB-ORBITAL PLATFORM

Abstract

Space and suborbital vehicles reach high speeds while flying in the atmosphere, which results in aerodynamic heating and structural loads due the dynamic pressure on the surface. High resistance materials are employed to support such requirements, increasing the spacecraft weight and launching costs. The use of an integrated thermal structural protection (TISSC) was proposed, in order to improve the overall performance, resulting in a significant reduction in weight and cost and increasing the life cycle of the vehicle. This work is aimed in analyzing the economic viability of these structures, applied to the SARA suborbital platform, which is being developed by IAE (Institute of Aeronautics and Space) for experiments in micro-gravity environment. Possible combinations of materials to be employed, including their cost and manufacturability, were analyzed, concluding that the use of this system represents an advantage when compared to the conventional thermal protection system.