Kick Stage Research Articles

Development of a Kick Stage and Trajectory Optimisation for Large Interplanetary Scientific Missions

With SpaceX’s Starship heralding an era of high-capacity launch vehicles, large-scale scientific missions like the proposed Arcanum mission to Neptune are now feasible. However, traditional methods for initially estimating fuel masses, like the impulsive burn approximation, are wholly inadequate and cannot be used to create realistic initial design concepts. This paper provides an in-depth analysis using the General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) to assess the Oberth effect and various Earth Departure Stage (EDS) designs, exploring propulsion technologies from hypergolic to cryogenic. We consider factors like fuel boil-off and the implications of using Starship as a launch vehicle for delivery into parking orbits which can then be used for deep space trajectories. Our findings, including a performance comparison of different EDS designs and heuristic tips for optimising large-mass ejections, are valuable for mission planners. The study also demonstrates GMAT’s utility in combination with MATLAB in simulating realistic mission profiles. These results not only advance the Arcanum mission but also contribute broadly to deep space mission strategies. Keywords: Astrodynamics, Starship, Hypergolic, Cryogenic

A Pattern Search Method to Optimize Mars Exploration Trajectories

The Korean National Space Council recently released “Mars Exploration 2045” as part of its future strategic plan. The operations for a Mars explorer can be defined based on domestically available capabilities, such as ground operations, launch, in-space transport and deep space link. Accordingly, all of our exploration scenarios start from the Naro space center, and the pathway to Mars is optimized using an objective function that minimizes the required ∆V. In addition, the entire phase of Mars orbit insertion should remain in contact with our deep space antennas, a measure that is imposed as an operational constraint. In this study, a pattern search method is adopted, as it can handle a nonlinear problem without relying on the derivatives of the objective function, and optimal trajectories are generated on a daily basis for a 15-day launch period. The robustness of this direct search method is confirmed by consistently converged solutions showing, in particular, that the ascending departure requires slightly less ∆V than the descending departure on the order of 10 m/s. Subsequently, mass estimates are made for a Mars orbiter and a kick stage to determine if the desired ∆V is achievable with our eco-friendly in-space propulsion system when launched from our indigenous launch vehicle, KSLV-II.

Challenges and Opportunities of Green Propellants and Electric Pump Feeding for Future European Kick Stages

This paper analyses the synergy between two innovative technologies: green propellants and electric pump feeding, for a 500 N engine thrust range. The novel approach is then compared to the legacy configuration, i.e., an MMH/NTO pressure fed system. First, a discussion of the benefits and challenges of the different technologies is presented. Subsequently, the proposed configuration relying on green propellants and e-pumps is investigated. After selecting hydrogen peroxide as the baseline oxidiser, a comparative analysis of different fuel candidates is conducted, leading to the selection of propane as fuel. Furthermore, the second part of the paper weights the novel configuration against the standard one and confronts their propulsive performance and mass budget. Results show that the implementation of electric pump feeding can leverage the performance of the selected green propellant outpacing the conventional solution.

Persephone: A Pluto-system Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer

Abstract Persephone is a NASA concept mission study that addresses key questions raised by New Horizons’ encounters with Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), with arguably the most important being, “Does Pluto have a subsurface ocean?” More broadly, Persephone would answer four significant science questions: (1) What are the internal structures of Pluto and Charon? (2) How have the surfaces and atmospheres in the Pluto system evolved? (3) How has the KBO population evolved? (4) What are the particles and magnetic field environments of the Kuiper Belt? To answer these questions, Persephone has a comprehensive payload, and it would both orbit within the Pluto system and encounter other KBOs. The nominal mission is 30.7 yr long, with launch in 2031 on a Space Launch System Block 2 rocket with a Centaur kick stage, followed by a 27.6 yr cruise powered by existing radioisotope electric propulsion and a Jupiter gravity assist to reach Pluto in 2058. En route to Pluto, Persephone would have one 50–100 km class KBO encounter before starting a 3.1-Earth-year orbital campaign of the Pluto system. The mission also includes the potential for an 8 yr extended mission, which would enable the exploration of another KBO in the 100–150 km size class. The mission payload includes 11 instruments: Panchromatic and Color High-Resolution Imager, Low-Light Camera, Ultra-Violet Spectrometer, Near-Infrared (IR) Spectrometer, Thermal IR Camera, Radio Frequency Spectrometer, Mass Spectrometer, Altimeter, Sounding Radar, Magnetometer, and Plasma Spectrometer. The nominal cost of this mission is $3.0 billion, making it a large strategic science mission.

Effects of phase transition on gas kick migration in deepwater horizontal drilling

A reliable kick simulator is a valuable tool in improving forward-looking predictions and making correct decisions during well control operations. In this study, a transient coupled model is developed for kick simulation in deepwater horizontal drilling. The model incorporates the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations within the wellbore, and is coupled with a mass and heat transfer model for gas, liquid, and hydrate phase transitions, a slip relation for gas distribution and rise velocity, and a gas influx model for reservoir coupling. In the model, the transient mass transfer model is used in conjunction with an unsteady temperature model to study the effects of phase transition on gas kick migration.The simulator is validated through comparisons with the measurement results of a kicking well and full-scale kick experiments. The simulated results show consistent trends and are in good quantitative agreement with the collected measurement data.The kick development under various reservoir and construction parameters is analyzed. Gas dissolution and hydrate formation are found to significantly suppress the kick development process, especially at low influx rates or during the early kick stage. For a given pit gain of 3 m3, the error in kick prediction can reach 17.6% if phase transition effects are neglected.

Study on the orbital maneuvering capability of H-2A kick stage

This paper describes a concept study of an optional kick stage system named “PLUS (for Planetary mission, Long-duration small-thrust Upper Stage)” equipped with a relatively small-thrust engine for interplanetary missions. The thrust force of PLUS assumed in this study is a maximum 29.4kN, which is relatively small, used to inject a payload into interplanetary orbit with sufficiently low gravity loss i.e. less than 2%, although two split delta-Vs such as the Russian Proton/Breeze-M will improve performance efficiency (Proton Launch System Mission Planner's Guide, 2009 [1]). The orbital maneuvering capability of PLUS system is evaluated through Mars orbital maneuvering simulations. In this study, two types of PLUS systems are assumed. First, a 29.4kN thrust force kicks stage system designated as “PLUS1” to inject the 3000kg main payload into Mars transfer orbit. Second, a 9.8kN thrust force small PLUS system designated as “PLUS2” to inject a 500kg secondary payload into Mars transfer orbit. In the first case, the above-mentioned split delta-Vs are conducted to inject the main payload into Mars transfer orbit with sufficiently low gravity loss. In the second case, on the other hand, PLUS2 attached to the secondary payload is dual launched together with a primary payload into a geostationary transfer orbit, GTO, whereupon PLUS2 is initiated slightly before perigee to inject the secondary payload into Mars transfer orbit utilizing Electric delta-V Earth Gravity Assist, EDVEGA scheme via the on-board Ion Electric propulsion System, IES (Kawaguchi, 2001 [2,3]). Throughout the simulations, some optimized configurations of PLUS system covering a wide variety of space missions are suggested in this paper.

Baseline design of new horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper belt

The New Horizons mission is progressing toward its planned launch in January 2006. Current plans call for the New Horizons spacecraft to be launched by a newly developed evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV) Atlas V 551 with the STAR 48B kick stage in January/February 2006. After flying for more than 32 AU and traveling through the inner and outer solar system, the spacecraft is expected to arrive at Pluto as early as July 2015 for the first scientific reconnaissance investigations of the last planet that has not yet been visited by a spacecraft. This paper describes the baseline mission design, which includes the baseline launch scenario that maximizes the launch probability with an extensive launch period of 35 days, the interplanetary trajectory design that allows the spacecraft to fly fast to Pluto by taking advantage of the gravity assist from Jupiter, the trajectory design of the close encounter with Pluto and its moon Charon, and the mission plan for the extended mission beyond Pluto to fly by a Kuiper belt object. Note: New Horizons is NASA's planned mission to Pluto and has not been approved for launch. All representations in this paper are contingent on a decision by NASA to go forward with the preparation for and launch of the mission.