Aero-Thermal Analysis of the Critical Factors in a Winged Reusable Launch Vehicle for Safer Re-Entry

Abstract

This paper presents a brief review of the critical factors and phenomena involved in the aero-thermal analysis of a winged reusable launch vehicle. The heat flux evaluation for the re-entry phase is assessed based on the suitability of the available simulation techniques under diverse conditions. This is followed by a short description of the physics involved in each of the factors, their corresponding effects on the main objective and the usual and possible future strategies to deal with them. Finally, the ultimate thermal management of the vehicle surface is discussed based on the literature reviews and a comparative study is depicted showing the benefits over previous ideas. This work can be of use for further research on low wing loading effect to validate the reduction in heat flux and hence the aero-thermal loads thereby ensuring a safer and an affordable atmospheric re-entry for future space explorers.