Carlos Henrique Melo Souza, Danton José Fortes Villas Boas, André Carlos Fraile Jr., Angelo Passaro
DOI Number XXX-YYY-ZZZ
Conference Number HiSST-2022-260
Several hypersonic experiments have been executed in the last years using sounding
rockets. Some examples are BOLT, HiFIRE, and SHEFEX experiments in which research
topics like laminar-turbulent transition, scramjet propulsion, and thermal protections are
explored. Some of these experiments have singular aerodynamic characteristics since
the rockets, together with their payloads, do not have the typical axial symmetry of a
sounding rocket. Such configuration poses some problems since sounding rockets
generally are aerodynamically stabilized. Therefore, a detailed aerodynamic analysis of
the vehicle is required to ensure that the rocket flight is stable. In this paper,
aerodynamic coefficients are calculated for different configurations of a hypersonic
vehicle composed of a non-axisymmetric payload (the hypersonic experiment itself) plus
a sounding rocket. The coefficients are analyzed regarding aerodynamic and flight
dynamic aspects. Finally, the more appropriate configuration in terms of aerodynamic
stability is presented.