Experimental Study of High-Altitude Environment Simulation for Space Launch Vehicles

Abstract

In this work, a high-altitude environment simulation of space launch vehicle has been examined experimentally. One flow condition was used to replicate Mach 6 flight condition for the Korean Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-II) at an altitude of 65 km. Flow verification was carried out by measuring stagnation pressure, heat flux, and shock standoff distance. Four different configurations of scaled models were used, respectively, to simulate a particular region of the launch vehicle. The models considered examined the shock wave patterns around the launch vehicle, the aerothermodynamic properties on the forebody flow, the aspects of obtaining shock-free technique, and an interaction between nozzle plume and shear layer emanated from the incoming boundary layer of the model.