Technologies of reducing the technological environmental impact of space rocket launches

Abstract

The paper presents technologies of reducing the technological environmental impact of man-made space launch vehicles (SLV) based on controlled descent and trajectories of deorbiting the spent stages, burning of the separated nose fairing halves and tail section in the atmosphere. Controlled descent of a spent stage is accomplished due to the installation of an active on-board recovery system that uses unexpended remnants of the liquid components of propellant in the tanks. The burning of the fairing and tail section is based on the introduction of pyrotechnic compositions in their designs. Practical possibility of implementing this technology is shown taking the SLV Soyz-2.1.b space rocket as an example. It makes it possible not only to provide a solution to the basic environmental requirements, but also to improve the performance characteristics of the SLVs, move to a new technical level of their designing and operation. Using the technology of gasification of liquid residual propellants allows controlled descent of separating SLV stages with the scatter of impact points less than1 km, displacement of the impact range to 15% and increasing the mass of the payload due to the maneuver of the SLV lower stage to the intended impact area to 5% of the initial payload mass. The mass of additional equipment required for the implementation of this technology can be up to 3-5% of the dry structure of the SLV separating part.

Keywords

• space launch vehicle
• reducing technogenic impact
• gasification
• descent
• pyrotechnic composition