The Mapping of Aerospace Meteorology in the Brazilian Space Program: Challenges and Opportunities for Rocket Launch

Amaury Caruzzo,Mischel Carmen Neyra Belderrain,Gilberto Fisch,Daniel Ferreira Manso

doi:10.5028/jatm.v7i1.461

Abstract

The meteorological and oceanographic conditions are crucial for the successful launch of aerospace vehicles. However, the decision-making process using environmental information is a complex problem, since it depends on a constant review of current and future weather conditions. To understand this process in the Brazilian Space Program (BSP) context, this paper aims to be the first attempt to map out the systemic view of applied meteorology for the launch missions of aerospace vehicles. Various Brazilian stakeholders were interviewed and their perspectives were analyzed by using a problem structuring method known as Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA). With this approach, it was possible to identify different concepts in each group of respondents regarding the current situation of Aerospace Meteorology. One particularly relevant result was identified: weather forecast is not merely a tool to be used to modify the chronology of a mission and to fully provide support in decision-making during the rocket launches in Brazil. Furthermore, the paper shows that the Aerospace Meteorology needs to improve technical processes and to develop a weather decision support system with decision- makers' preferences regarding the uncertainty in weather forecasts. SODA has shown to be a support tool to understand the real situation of meteorology for the launch of aerospace vehicles and appropriate to aid in future planning in the BSP.

Highlights

IntroductionThe environmental conditions (meteorological and oceanographic) are crucial for the successful launching of aerospace vehicles such as sounding rockets and satellite launch vehicle (Vaughan and Johnson, 2011)
The environmental conditions are crucial for the successful launching of aerospace vehicles such as sounding rockets and satellite launch vehicle (Vaughan and Johnson, 2011)
In order to provide a clear understanding of the process from a systemic point of view, this paper aims to map out the applied meteorology for the launching missions of aerospace vehicles within the Brazilian Space Program (BSP)

Summary

Introduction

The environmental conditions (meteorological and oceanographic) are crucial for the successful launching of aerospace vehicles such as sounding rockets and satellite launch vehicle (Vaughan and Johnson, 2011). The decision-making process to protect the facilities of the space center or the exact time of the rocket launch is a complex problem, since it depends on a constant review of current and future weather conditions. In order to achieve a complete analysis of the decision-making process, it is necessary to evaluate several other factors such as: a) existing operational procedures; b) the limitations of environmental factors; c) current status of the infrastructure of the launching centers, among other factors. In the late 1970s, the Brazilian government established the “Brazilian Complete Space Mission”, which defined the long-term goals of the BSP: that is to say the launching of a Brazilian satellite, with a rocket manufactured and from a launching center in Brazil (Ceballos, 1995). The second company is Visiona Corp, a joint venture created from the association between EMBRAER and TELEBRAS, in order to develop the Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite (AEB, 2012; Brasil, 2012)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion