Ricerc@Sapienza

Multistage launch vehicles of reduced size, such as ”Super Strypi” or ”Sword” are currently investigated for the purpose of providing launch opportunities for microsatellites. Currently, microsatellites are launched according to timing and orbit requirements of the main payload. The limited costs of microsatellites and their capability to be produced and ready for use in short time make them particularly suitable for ready-on-demand requests, such as facing an emergency. As a result, launch vehicles for the exclusive use of microsatellites would be very useful.

Multistage launch vehicles of reduced size, such as "Super Strypi" or "Sword", are currently investigated for the purpose of providing launch opportunities for microsatellites. This work proposes a general methodology for the accurate modeling and performance evaluation of launch vehicles dedicated to microsatellites. For illustrative purposes, the approach at hand is applied to the Scout rocket, a micro-launcher used in the past. Aerodynamics and propulsion are modeled with high fidelity through interpolation of available data.