Pre-Contract Marketing Operations

In the space launch systems marketing in the work with Launch Services Customer in the process of pre-contract negotiations, the User’s Guides are widely used. They are developed to provide the potential commercial launch customers and spacecraft developers with the information on space launch vehicles required for preliminary assessment of their payloads launching feasibility.

The User’s Guides contain the description of space launch vehicles, their basic characteristics and operational parameters, the material on payload interfacing with rocket, environmental interfaces and conditions for a payload in all phases of its prelaunch processing and in flight. Potential limitations on interfaces and environmental conditions for specific spacecraft are determined directly in the process of its pre-launch processing. The User’s Guides also present the descriptions of launch systems facilities and complexes, technological cycles of space launch vehicles/payloads pre-launch processing, and operational requirements, as well as documentation and procedural requirements connected with pre-launch processing and launching.

Prior to launch contract signing, usually the analyses of spacecraft (SC) compatibility with integrated launch vehicle (ILV) and integration feasibility are made. These analyses are made in order to convince the Customer that given ILV is actually capable of performing the mission with the payload capability described in the contract proposal. They are made also to ensure confidence that no costly modifications of SC design will be required to fulfill the conditions of compatibility with given ILV.

The duration and scope of integration operations for specific mission depend on a Customer to a large extent. The work scope and time required for integration will be determined when the Customer provides the mission description and specific requirements. The scope of required analysis varies depending on SC design type and on Customer-required degree of analysis results accuracy.

Mission Analysis

The mission analysis is made to demonstrate spacecraft compatibility with the launch vehicle, to check compliance with the spacecraft requirements  and allow making an assessment of mission feasibility, justifying  the basic technical characteristics and project parameters ensuring achievement of the goals to be sought.

Typically, all mission analyses are made to support PDR – Preliminary Design Review and then are repeated based on refined information on spacecraft for CDR – Critical Design Review, are entered in the Mission Design Document that contains the following information:

• Flight Design. The Flight Design includes the launch windows, trajectory, orbital parameters and their scatters, flight sequence till spacecraft separation, verification of requirements to attitude before separation, maneuver to prevent collision and contamination, evaluation of telemetry coverage along the flight path.
• Spacecraft and Payload Fairing Separation Analyses. The Spacecraft  Separation Analysis determines the relative velocity between spacecraft and ILV during separation, angular and relative velocities of spacecraft, and clearances in separation process. Besides, the Payload Fairing (PLF) Separation Analysis is made to confirm  collision-free payload fairing jettisoning.
• Thermal Analysis. The Thermal Analysis is made to demonstrate spacecraft compatibility with thermal environments to which it will be subjected during ground operations and in flight right up to spacecraft separation.
• Coupled Loads Analysis. The Coupled Loads Analysis is made in order to determine spacecraft loads, accelerations and displacements for main design loading cases. It determines the strength margin of structure, permissible level of effects in the course of spacecraft sine vibration tests.
• Clearance Analysis. The Clearance Analysis is made to determine the clearances between spacecraft and ILV elements during ground operations and in flight.
• Venting Analysis. The Venting Analysis determines excess pressure in the payload module and launch vehicle instrument bay, excess pressure by the moment of PLF jettisoning and pressure drop rate under the fairing in the course of flight. Besides, the analysis of air flux effect on spacecraft during thermostating is made.
• Radio Link Analysis. The Radio Link Analysis is made to demonstrate compliance with the requirements to spacecraft radio link.
• Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis. The Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis demonstrates electromagnetic compatibility between the spacecraft, radio electronic facilities of the launch base and ILV during ground processing and in flight.
• Contamination Analysis. The Contamination Analysis is made to check that contamination accumulated in the course of operations and flight will not exceed permissible norms.
• Flight Reliability Analysis. The Flight Reliability Analysis includes reliability indices calculations for entire ILV and its components and the calculation of mission performance probability. The launch statistics is a part of this analysis.
• Emergency Analysis. The Emergency Analysis is a description of theoretically possible emergencies, method of their counteracting and potential consequences.

Based on launch results, the Post-Flight Report is developed and submitted to the Launch Customer.

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