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The search for ever greener and more efficient propulsion systems continues with game changing breakthroughs in propulsive technologies unlikely in conventional liquid rocket engine systems for the foreseeable future. MARCOM is consequently diligently focusing on the development of propulsion systems, the design of which incorporates and affords both reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The MAS-10K liquid rocket demonstrator engine is a forerunner to the CHEETAH-1`s two propulsion systems, the MAS-58K and the MAS-860K, but with refinement. It could also be used as an upper stage apogee motor or as an interplanetary orbital transfer engine.

Our repertoire of capabilities include:

The problems associated with traversing the atmosphere and orbital flight require significant deviation from the more common place aircraft flight dynamics models.

To overcome these limitations, MARCOM has developed LaunchSIM, a six degree of freedom, flight dynamics simulator. Based on the round-Earth equations and incorporating industry standard wind, turbulence and gravity models, LaunchSIM provides a quasi-real-time environment in which guidance, navigation and control algorithms can be developed and tested to meet avionics system performance requirements.

With the addition of complex propulsion, attitude control, staging and actuator models, LaunchSIM provides an invaluable insight into the sequencing of events and dynamic behaviour of any vehicle’s mechanical systems.

The plethora of data LaunchSIM provides permits us to complete the design loop by feeding this information back to the system level, propulsion, structures and aerodynamics, to effect design changes and provide for an improved overall design.

To control and monitor vehicle performance, we have developed sophisticated graphical user interfaces which provide user-friendly command and control interfaces. Besides giving a real-time assessment of the vehicle’s performance, they also permit the development and training of launch controllers.

With the advent of the modern day computer, the study of high speed aerodynamics has become synonymous with the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics.

These techniques not only permit the study of complex fluid flows at actual flight Reynold’s numbers and enthalpy levels, they have all but replaced, for certain flight conditions, the need for the astronomically expensive high speed wind tunnel facilities of the 20th Century.

MARCOM possesses significant experience in the analysis of these flows extending all the way from subsonic flight regimes to the complex chemically reacting environments encountered during hypersonic reentry of spacecraft.

Complementing these advance techniques, MARCOM has also developed simplified, in-house, analytical and computational methods which provide high level, first order design and benchmarking data.

The design of any launch vehicle fuselage structure must meet stringent weight requirements in an unforgiving thermal and inertial load environment.

These loads are derived from various sources, wind loads on the launch pad, dynamic loads on lift-off, shock loads during staging and payload separation maneuvers and aerodynamic loads encountered during passage through the atmosphere.

During the Cold War, the use of carbon fibre matrix composites, possessing excellent strength to weight properties was not an option. Today, carbon-fibre is a matured technology offering significant advantages in strength at reduced weight. Nevertheless thermal constraints due to either heat or cold at various locations, still necessitates the use of higher temperature materials such as aluminium and steel.

Designing and developing fuselage structures in commercial solid modelling packages, we use the latest Finite Element Analysis algorithms to characterize the anticipated stresses encountered during launch. In the high dynamic and vibratory environment of launch, these analyses invariably require non-linear transient dynamic techniques.