• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.855-862
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• 2017

Due to the weight reduction and miniaturization of satellites, there is a growing interest in low-cost launch vehicles, which are cheaper to launch than larger launch vehicles. One of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the cost of launch vehicles is the reuse of vehicles. Most companies that are developing low cost launch vehicles are also adopting a vehicles reuse approach. Along with this reuse purpose, the demand for environmentally friendly space launch vehicles has increased, so the choice of fuel used for low cost launch vehicles has also become very important. Methane and hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG), which makes more energy-efficient by adding hydrogen to methane, are considered to be the most suitable when considering other factors such as energy density among the fuels that are eco-friendly and capable of reusing the launch vehicles. This study investigated the trends of low-cost launch vehicle and rocket fuel in the world as a reference for setting up domestic space development after the development of Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II.

• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.68-70
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• 2016

최근 저비용 및 재사용 발사체 개발 연구에 관한 관심이 증가하고 있는 추세인데, 이로 인해 노즐 내부에 핀틀 개념을 적용하여 발사체의 성능을 높이거나 스로틀링을 활용한 재사용 연구가 중요해지고 있다. 이 노즐 내부에 탑재된 핀틀 형상은 노즐 성능을 결정짓는데 핵심적인 역할을 하게 된다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 핀틀 형상에 따른 압력특성과 재순환 영역의 경향성을 확인하여 추후 저비용, 재사용 발사체 개발 연구의 기초자료로 활용하고자 한다. 해석 결과 핀틀 크기보다 핀틀 각도가 성능 변화에 더 민감한 변수로 판단되었다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.1069-1075
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• 2017

With the recent development of space technology, the satellite market, especially the small satellite market, is growing globally. As the satellite market continues to grow, the launch vehicle market is also growing, and demand for low-cost launches is increasing. There are a number of options for low-cost launches, including development of engine that uses low-cost propellants, product and transportation cost savings, but the most effective way to reduce launch costs is to reuse the used launch vehicles. USA's Space Shuttle, a famous rocket as manned spacecraft, could be referred as the start of reusable launch vehicle. However, Space Shuttle had limited reusable parts and it was very expensive even though it is a reusable launch vehicle because of its low efficiency. In recent years, aiming at a real reusable launch vehicle, reusable launch vehicle for commercial purposes have been developed around USA's SpaceX and Blue Origin, and re-landing tests were successfully accomplished. In addition, SpaceX successfully did the re-using of first-stage launch vehicle that had been succeeded in re-landing already. In accordance with this trend, countries such as Europe and India are also concentrating on the study of reusable launch vehicles. Including Blue Origin, companies like Virgin Galactic and XCOR in the United States, are also trying to commercialize the same reusable technology as the private manned space tourism. Confirmation of these technology trends is essential, because the re-use technology could change the landscape of the global launch vehicle market.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.668-674
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• 2016

In this paper the development directions of the next generation launch vehicle program following KSLV-II has been discussed, which are to be executed after year 2020 according to the Medium and Long Term Plan for National Space Development. Also, several areas of technology advancement have been identified for the successful development of the LVs. The next generation LV must aim for not only the high performance but also for low cost as well as high reliability in order to compete against global commercial launch service providers. To this end, the next generation LVs program shall capitalize on many anticipated accomplishments of the KSLV-II program such as the 75 ton class LOX/kerosene rocket engine.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.48-54
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• 2020

Low cost launch vehicle for next-generation is underway in advanced space countries such as the United States, Europe, Japan and China. This paper surveys the latest technological trends in avionics system, including ground management system. In the case of on-board equipment, to make short the development period and reduce the cost, the equipment is standardized and modularized for each functions to flexibly respond to changes in system requirements. In addition, a network is applied to all inter-equipment interfaces and a powerful self-diagnostic function is included in the equipment to realize automation/simplification of the interface with the ground system, and it is confirmed that an efficient launcher system is realized.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2022

There has been significant increase in demand of launch opportunities from the small satellite sector that represents the new space era. Providing smallsat-dedicated launch service at an affordable price is a new business model many startup companies have pursued, which requires innovative solutions for cost reduction in combination of low cost components, volume production and optimized manufacturing. We set out a preceding study at KARI to develop a suite of critical and cost-cutting technologies in preparation for a two-staged small launch vehicle development, based on the liquid rocket engine technologies developed from the Nuri program in accordance with the 3^rd master plan for national space development. In this work, we introduce the concept of a two-staged small launch vehicle that aims to be innovative and cost competitive for small satellites, and describe mission design results including staging as well as overall vehicle configuration of the launch vehicle.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.558-565
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• 2017

Recently, there has been a tendency to lead the private sector in the launch vehicle market, and as the market has become saturated, efforts are being made to reduce the launch cost. Advanced countries in space development have promoted manned long-range space exploration plans. As oxygen/methane is more efficient, lower cost, and eco-friendly than typical propellants, and can be produced locally on an alien planet, it is the most suitable next-generation propellant to meet this trend. Now methane engine development is accelerating due to changes in international conditions and corporate environment. It is also expected to develop a methane engine in order to survive in this global trend and to keep up with the launch vehicle market in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2020

Additively manufactured, small rocket engines are perhaps the focal activities of space startups that are developing low-cost launch vehicles. Rocket engine companies such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab in the United States, Ariane Group in Europe, and IHI in Japan have already adopted the additive manufacturing process in building key components of their rocket engines. In this paper on technology trends, an existing valve housing of a rocket engine is chosen as a case study to examine the feasibility of using additively manufactured parts for rocket engines.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.46-58
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• 2010

Hydrogen peroxide(HP) and liquid methane have deserved renewed considerations as green propellants in recent years, because main design concerns in the development of the new generation propulsion system for spacecrafts are concentrated on low operation cost and environmental cleanness. Although HP has a long history of application to aerospace propulsion systems due to high density, mono-propellant characteristics and low toxicity, it had been replaced by hydrazine and liquid oxygen due to extreme performance requirement during the cold war. But HP has received a renewed interest due to its increased stability and many researches have been conducted to develop high performance LREs(Liquid Rocket Engines) using HP. Liquid methane has also received a new interest in rocket propulsion system for the future space exploration according to its possibility of ISRU(In-Situ Resource Utilization).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.60-71
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• 2022

The reusable, low-cost launch vehicle development trend in the recent launch vehicle market is being subdivided into several ways, and the throttleable engine is one of them. Plus, several nations have selected methane as a next-generation propellant due to its cleanness. In this research, a throttleable pintle injector using gas methane and liquid oxygen as propellants was developed, followed by its spray and combustion characteristics analysis, including high pressure cold and hot tests. The designed throttleable pintle injector has a double sleeve structure, and its tightness and functionality are confirmed through repetitive atmospheric, high-pressure cold tests, and hot tests. Though some design errors were discovered and a low throttling level was unable to be achieved in the combustion test.