Yuzhnoye’s design and analytical division analyzes and provides our customers a broad spectrum of ballistic information.

The majority of developed procedures and software were proven by many years of Yuzhnoye’s design work; robustness and effectiveness of the techniques were demonstrated in hundreds of rocket and spacecraft launches.

Spacecraft Mission Ballistic-Navigational Support

1. Management of spacecraft ballistic-navigational support
2. Development of procedures to solve ballistic-navigational problems during spacecraft operations
3. Development of ballistic-navigational software-hardware systems for spacecraft mission control centers
4. Design and building of systems to display spacecraft prelaunch processing, ballistic and mission-specific data
5. Instrument location selection and justification
6. Analyses to provide spacecraft ballistic-navigational support:

• Determination of spacecraft orbits using statistical measurement-processing methods
• Spacecraft motion prediction, allowing for disturbances such as eccentricity of Earth’s gravitational field, atmosphere, geomagnetic disturbances, influence of Sun, Moon, and planets
• Assessment of the spacecraft motion determination and prediction accuracy
• Analysis of specific ballistic information (radio visibility ranges, light-to-dark flight conditions, ground track, etc).

Management of ballistic-navigational support to spacecraft flight control. Building of satellite prelaunch processing, launch, and mission display systems, including real-time display.

Drop Zone Analysis

Dimensions of drop zones for separated parts of rocket stages, payload fairings, and other launch vehicle components are calculated using the Monte-Carlo simulation.

The software determines extreme drop-zone dimensions for different climatic zones with specified probability.

The proposed approach allows determining the optimum size of allocated drop zones. Theoretical data are supported by empirical data from many Zenit, Cyclone, and Dnepr rocket launches.

Provision of reference information on spacecraft in orbits around Earth

Provision of data on spacecraft and other space objects orbiting Earth:

• Orbit characteristics
• Spacecraft characteristics
• Launch data
• Prediction of lifetime and drop zones
• etc.

The data are collected from a wide range of information sources. Yuzhnoye guarantees high reliability and quick provision of data to the customer.

Data are provided in a customer-defined format.

Data on spacecraft and other objects in Earth orbits are submitted to governmental agencies.

Spacecraft Cluster Injection Profile Design

Know-how developed by Yuzhnoye is used for selection of spacecraft cluster separation profile parameters.

The procedure allows calculating separation profile parameters (separation velocity magnitudes and vectors), with a minimum range of pushers used, to provide shock-free separation of all spacecraft in the cluster and their uniform arrangement in orbit.

Analyses of optimal architectures are performed for orbital systems built using launch vehicles with and without booster stages.

Liftoff and separation dynamic analysis

The analytical services include:

1. Software and procedures to support analysis and computer simulation of dynamics of any transients, in particular:

Launch vehicle liftoff and jettison of launch support structures:

• Launch vehicle liftoff from stationary ground and silo launchers
• Launch vehicle liftoff from rail-mobile launchers
• Launch vehicle liftoff from a carrier aircraft, following bombing, air dropping, and “off back” profiles

Stages separation:

• Cold separation profile using retrorockets
• Hot separation profile with the starting stage engine igniting before separation
• Combination (‘warm’) separation profile using a gas-jet braking system

Payload fairing jettison:

• By splitting the fairing in two shells
• By pulling the fairing off, using solid rocket motors, and drawing it away from the launch vehicle

Payload separation:

• Separation of a single heavy spacecraft or a booster stage during a cluster mission
• Spacecraft separation from the last stage.

2. Analyses to determine motion parameters of launch vehicles and their components in transient phases. Transient dynamic analysis for specific configurations, and recommendations concerning control-system command timelines and the design of launch vehicle, launch complex, separation and jettison systems units and assemblies.

3. Calculations to support the dynamic analysis of customer’s mechanical systems/structures, with definition of laws of motion of the system components and forces and moments affecting them in various service conditions.

The developed software and procedures are applicable for both liquid-propellant and solid-propellant launch vehicles.

The transient analysis takes into account almost all disturbances such as

• Wind speed and direction
• Atmospheric density scatter
• Air/gas dynamic data evaluation errors
• CoG/MoI scatter
• Launch vehicle and propulsion manufacturing and assembly errors
• Engine thrust scatter
• Thrust vector skew and deviation
• Elastic response of a launch vehicle and its components
• Launcher force action onto a rocket at liftoff.

For sea- and air-launched rockets, carrier aircraft response parameters and trim-and-heel parameters of sea-based platforms are also taken into account.

The proposed transient analysis software and services allow

• Selecting optimum transient diagrams
• If required, giving specific recommendations concerning design of launch vehicle, launch complex, separation and jettison system units and assemblies
• Defining requirements for equipment that ensures reliability and safety of the transient
• Selecting control system command sequence for each transient process (CS command timeline)
• If required, giving specific recommendations on control algorithms for each transient process
• Evaluating dynamic parameters of each transient process for an upcoming mission
• Running a comparative analysis of expected and actual launch data.

Kinematic and dynamic analyses of mechanical systems ensure timely decision-making on the design, contribute to design optimization, shorten the test program and reduce follow-up efforts. Ultimately, this results in enhanced consumer properties of the product.

The services were provided during prelaunch processing and all launches conducted under Interkosmos, Sea Launch, and Dnepr programs.

Launch vehicle, booster stage, and spacecraft trajectory prediction

The flight trajectory prediction package includes

• Launch vehicle and descent object trajectory prediction
• Selection of optimum flight trajectories based on known and designed characteristics of launch vehicles and booster stages
• Development of launch vehicle mission software and command sequences
• Evaluation of launch vehicle payload capability
• Prediction of evolution of spacecraft and separated stage orbit elements
• Estimation of orbit adjust and maneuvering profile parameters
• Evaluation of a priori and a posteriori injection accuracy
• Assessment of dangerous rendezvous between launch vehicle and orbital objects during ascent.

Up-to-date optimization methods and accurate mathematical models of system motion and operation are used for prediction.

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