Space Transportation Systems: Introduction and Design Challenges

Abstract

The satellite systems provide a number of services to mankind in the areas of societal applications. To derive maximum benefits from the satellites, they have to be positioned into the right orbital slot in space. Space transportation systems (STS) play a key role in transporting the satellites from Earth and placing in the specified orbits depending on the application requirements. With the limitations of the technologies available as on date, STS has to be configured with multi-stages and the vehicle subsystems have to be totally autonomous and automatic. To reduce the cost of launching satellites by a specified STS, the STS must deliver maximum payload mass into the specified orbit with very high accuracy. The vehicle must be highly robust and this poses conflicting requirements on the design of each of the subsystems. The robustness demand of STS increases many fold when the humans are onboard, and in such cases, the transportation systems have to meet the stringent requirements of human rating. Therefore, various aspects of the optimum and robust design of such STS satisfying all specified conditions are discussed in this chapter. The functional requirements of STS to transport these satellites to space or to bring back to the Earth, typical subsystems and operating environments are also included. Development cycles and cost aspects of STS are explained. The design challenges for the complex subsystems and the need for the integrated design using systems approach to arrive at an optimum, cost effective and robust design are also included. The development of advanced technologies involving design, characterization, testing, and qualification has a major implication on the cost and schedule for realization of the vehicle and their salient aspects are discussed.