Conceptual Design of Air Launching Vehicle Based on Scaling Law

Satellites weighing 1-10kg are known as Nano-satellite. With the advancement of technology and the smaller parts of the electronics, satellites become smaller and lighter every day. Due to the advancement of technology, the use of CanSats/Cubsats have become more prominent. The optimal and low cost of launching these satellites is air-launch-to-orbit method. The conceptual design and simulation of the trajectory of an air-launch-to-orbit rocket vary based on the type of aircraft, the technology available to make the rocket engine, Aircraft’s velocity, Starting Altitude, Initial (the aircraft’s) Flight Path Angle and Latitude and Longitude, with changes in each of these parameters as a new design. In this research, the feasibility study of air launching vehicle to deliver a 10kg Nano-satellite into a parking orbit using the F-4 aircraft has been performed natively. For this purpose, the conceptual design of the air launch-to-orbit rocket has been achieved after five design stages. The final design is based on the downscale of the single operating sample, weighing 2270 kg, length 6.6 m and diameter 0.65 cm. Simulation of the ascent trajectory has been done using a 3DOF code and validated by Pegasus trajectory modeling.