Lateral and Axial Force Control by Installing Micro Protuberance on a Supersonic Rocket

Abstract

The rise of small satellites is driving growth in the space industry, and the development of space transport vehicles is also progressing. This study focuses on small rockets, which have gained popularity in recent years due to their generally low cost for launching small satellites. However, these rockets often feature external protuberant devices typically mounted on the outer surface to preserve internal volume and significantly affect their aerodynamic characteristics. This study examines lateral and axial forces because of their direct impact on rockets flight performance. Specifically, we aimed to reduce lateral force without incurring a large drag penalty by installing a vortex generator (VG) with a small axial projected area. Numerical simulations confirmed that this approach was successful. The improvement was attributed to new shock and expansion waves generated by the VG, which altered the asymmetric flow field.