Tenders Are Invited For High Cadence Autonomous Space-Planes: Fast-Track To Orbit

Tenders are invited for High Cadence Autonomous Space-Planes: Fast-Track to Orbit - Expro+ To consolidate next generation re-usable spaceplane configurations through a multidisciplinary analysis and optimization architecture.Description: Various configurations of reusable transportation systems have been investigated and are presently being deployed,mainly based on classical launcher architectures, based on liquid rocket engines and cylindrical layouts. Next generation vehicle architectures being investigated exploit the ascent and descent through the atmosphere as lift generating spaceplanes. The flight vehicle architecture should target full reusability and make use of the atmosphere to cross it back-and-forth in an efficient, fast, reliable and safe way similar to airplanes nowadays. To achieve a design capable of fulfilling all those requirements, a review of paststudies shall identify space planes configuration with a sufficient aerodynamic efficiency (L/D>4) to optimize ascent and gliding descent for reusability. At least two types of space-planes configurations are aimed to be analysed based upon advanced propulsion techniques, i.e. detonation and airbreathing based propulsion and assessed in sufficient detail. The multi-disciplinary design analysis and optimization (MDAO) architecture for co-design of aero-thermal-mechanical-propulsion-GNC system of hypervelocity flight vehicles) should take advantage of latest advances in parallel computing and AI techniques, and be able to link both highly specialized sub-system COTS software as well as newly developed simplified performance models to allow both detailed and fast iterations and trade-offs. This will be supported by experimental wind tunnel testing (WTT) campaign for validation and calibration. This activity encompasses the following tasks: - Aeroshape review and optimization through MDAO with exploitation first of computational fluid dynamicsand engineering tools, and then injecting WTT results; - System conceptual design and mechanical justification with Finite ElementMethod (FEM) and Treed Meta-Model (TMM) models of respectively airframe and TPS - Aeroshape characterization through (cold) trisonic wind tunnel testing with ad-hoc models for the critical mission phases (take-off/ascent phase, fly-back and down-range landing) - Aeroshape aerodynamic database synthesis - Mission and trajectory analysis - Flight mechanics performances assessment - GNC needs definition and identification of system-level impacts - Definition of a development roadmap: conceptual definition of testing effort forin-flight verification and validation in supersonic, transonic and subsonic regime.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_Enterprises/Opportunities_for_SMEs/Procurement_policy_on_fair_access_for_SMEs_-_the_C1-C4_Clauses Read less Tender Link : https://esastar-publication-ext.sso.esa.int/ESATenderActions/filter/open

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