Launch Dynamics

Dr. Alexandre Pechev

Launch vehicle GNC

Launch dynamics

Material: Wiesel, Spaceight dynamics; Ashley, Engineering analysis of ight

vehicles

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 Launch Vehicles Guidance Navigation and Control

The GNC system on a rocket is responsible of controlling and navigating the vehicle
from the ground to the desired nal location. This is performed autonomously.
Navigation: determining the vehicle's position, velocity and attitude in space.

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 Launch Vehicles Guidance Navigation and Control

Guidance: is the process of deciding how to steer the vehicle to get to the desired
target
Control: Implementing the guidance trajectory by manipulating the thrust and
controlling the attitude

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

r, are the polar coordinates of the CM

h is the altitude

vc is the velocity

is the ight path angle (the angle from the local horizon to vc)

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

is the angle between the thrust T and the velocity vector vc (angle of thrust)

Re radius of the planet where g has a constant value ge

The local acceleration due to gravity towards the center is

ge Re2 k
g= r2
= r2

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

Consider a single plane passing through the center of a spherical, non-rotating

planet. The acceleration components tangential and normal to the path are
derived from the Newton's law (r, are the polar coordinates of the CM):
aT = vc = FT /m
aN = vc( )
= FN /m

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

To derive the equation of motion, consider that the derivative of is related to

the horizontal component of

v c, i.e.

r , vc is the magnitude of the velocity vector

= vc cos()

Similarly, the rate of change of the radius r is equal to the vertical component
r h = vcsin()

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

Suppose now that the rocket thrust is controllable in both magnitude and direction
(both T and can be controlled, we still require only in-plane motion for and
the out-of-plane force is assumed zero), then the rate of change of the magnitude
of the velocity (or the speed) is
ksin() D 1
v c = 2
+ T cos(), where D = 1
2 Cd Avc
2
is the drag
| r{z } |{z}
m |m {z }
gravitation drag control

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

The rate of change of the vehicle's ight path is also derived (vc( )
= FN /m)
kcos() L vc cos() 1
= 2
+ + r + T sin()
v c
| {z r vc
} |{z}m v m
| c {z }
gravitation lif t control

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics

v c = ksin()
r 2 D
m + 1
m T cos(), D = 1
2 Cd Avc
2

= kcos()
vc r 2 + L
vc m + vc cos()
r + 1
vc m T sin()

= vc cos()
r

r h = vcsin()
= ITsp
m

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 Launch Vehicles Dynamics
For the purpose of the analysis, we can assign a state vector x = [vc, , r, , m]T
and a control input u = [T, ]T and dene the state-space form of the above
dynamics as

1/2CD Ax21
ksin(x
x2
2)
x5 + x15 u1cos(u2)
kcos(x2) 3

x cos(x )
x x2 + x1Lx5 + 1 x3 2 + x11x5 u1sin(u2)


1 3
x = f (x, u) =

cos(x2 )
x1 x3


x1sin(x2)


I1sp u1

Boost usually involves several stages. This leads to discontinuities in m, T, D, ....

To account for this we have to integrate (solve) in segments and then account for
initial conditions.

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 Launch vehicle dynamics  Simplications
Start with the dierential equation
= ITsp
m

With the assumption that T =thrust=constant (although the thrust and the
specic impulse increase with altitude, the assumption that T is constant is not
unreasonable if we take an average value over the trajectory of as particular stage)
we can integrate the above equation to get m. This value can be then used in
the dynamic equation
Rt T T
m = m0 + 0
mdt
= m 0 + mt
= m 0 Isp t = m 0 (1 m0 Isp t)

m0is the initial mass at t = 0. In actuality, the booster would be clamped at rst
until the thrust is high enough to permit a save lifto; m0 is then the lifto mass.

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 Launch vehicle dynamics  Simplications
Using m as derived above and the fact that the initial weight is W0 = m0ge, i.e.
m0 = W0/ge we can calculate the ratio T /m
T T ge T /W0
= m0 (1 m TI
=
m t) 1 I ge TW t
0 sp SP 0

This quantity might be interpret as the inertial acceleration. The hyperbolic

growth of T /m is shown below.

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 Launch vehicle dynamics  Simplications

The thrust to weight ratio T /W0 is an important characteristic (typical values

1.25,1.3). We put a lower limit for its value just after lifto to get an adequate
vc. Also we have to consider that the acceleration at the end of the burn (when
m << m0) should be restricted to 4-5ge.

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 Dynamics simplications ( 0, L 0, D 0)
With the assumption that 0 and L 0, and the drag term can be neglected
(D 0), the equations of motion reduce to
v c = ksin()
r2
+ ge T /W0
,
1 I ge TW t
SP 0

= kcos()
vc r 2
+ vc cos()
r

r = h = vcsin()
= vc cos()
r

in terms of distance on a spherical planet measured from the point of launch

d = Re
r vc cos() = Re
Re +h vc cos()

Also using the fact that the normal acceleration is aN = vc( )

, we nd that
aN = kcos()
r2
= gcos().
i.e. the normal acceleration depends only on the component of gravitational
acceleration in the normal direction.
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 Launch vehicle dynamics  Simplications ( 0,
L 0)

More realism is added by estimating the acceleration due to drag. For this we
calculate the quantity
D 1/2CD Avc2
m = m

The coecient of drag CD varies with Mach number, i.e. CD (M ),M = vc/a
and (due to the dependence of M on altitude h). To simplify the above ratio, we
use the simplied form for the mass as above to get
D 1/2CD Avc2 1/2CD A(h)vc2
m = m =
ge T

m0 1 I W t
SP 0

We can simplify further if we use the approximate exponential t as the model for
the atmospheric density
(h) = 0eh/H

where 0 = 1.2366kg/m3and the scale height H = 7.1628km.

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Atmospheric density vs. altitude

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 Launch vehicle dynamics  Simplications ( 0,
L 0)

Using the above developments, the rate of change of vc including thrust and drag
becomes
1/2CD A0 eh/H vc2
v c = ksin()
r2
+ ge T /W0
,
1 I ge TW t

ge T
m0 1 I W t
SP 0 SP 0

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Launch vehicle dynamics  calculating the v budget
Using the dynamic model, the booster performance can be analysed by calculating
the v budget.
We start with
T
m = v c + ksin()
r 2 + D
m

Integrating each components from vc(t0 = 0) = 0 to torbitat injection we get:

1) Thrust and Characteristic velocity (m
= T /Isp)
R torbit T
R torbit m R m0 dm m0
0 m dt = Isp 0 m dt = Isp morbit m
= Ispln m = vch
F

This is the inherent capability of the booster to achieve velocity increment in

eld-free space
2) Change in speed
R torbit
0
vdt
= vorbit

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3) Eect of gravity
R torbit ksin() R torbit
0 r2
dt =< 0
gedt = getorbit = vgravity

4) Loss due to drag

R torbit D R torbit T /W0
0 m dt = ge 0 1 I ge TW t
dt = vdrag
SP 0

We use above to write the v equation along with some typical numerical values
v
| {zch} = v| orbit
{z } + v + Vdrag
| gravity
{z } | {z }
9.1412.19km/s 7.62km/s 1.82.4km/s 0.06km/s

This equation shows the capability of the booster (vch) is divided among the
task of creating kinetic energy of orbital speed, increasing potential energy of
height in gravitational eld and overcoming air resistance.

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 Launch vehicle dynamics  further simplications
For a sounding rocket (i.e. the vertical ight after), (0) = 900. This would
imply that for the simplied dynamics , (t) = (0) = 900
D T
v c = g m +m

= 0

= 0

r h = vc

For boost to circular orbit, however, the gravity turn would have to be started
with < 900 as we require (torbit) = 00, the speed vc(torbit) = /r.
p

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