Speaker
Description
Integrating environmental considerations into launcher design presents unique challenges due to the iterative nature of development processes, limited production volumes, variety of design versions, and specialized materials involved. This study presents the development and application of an environmental trade-off tool designed to support eco-design for the MaiaSpace launch vehicle. The tool enables engineers to quantitatively compare alternative design solutions across standardized life cycle assessment impact categories while accounting for launcher performance constraints.
Three distinct comparison modes are implemented: (1) direct unitary impact comparison per trade-off alternative; (2) absolute cumulative impacts over a defined operational timeframe, within the scope of the chosen launcher stage (“location” of the trade-off), while incorporating the expendable/reusable vehicle mix; and (3), performance-relative impacts that normalize environmental impact differences against payload capacity changes. A critical feature of the third mode is its ability to identify performance thresholds beyond which design alternatives become environmentally advantageous with regards to the functional unit considered, thereby enabling the consideration of minimizing structural mass as a primary eco-design lever. This is particularly significant for launch systems, as mass reduction limits high-altitude radiative forcing emissions, whose warming effect is potentially several orders of magnitude greater than ground-level equivalents.
A case study comparing aluminum versus carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) thermal coverings for the Interstage Separation System demonstrated the tool's usability within the MaiaSpace teams. For each trade-off conducted, The tool enables identifying the performance gain threshold required to offset a potential increase in environmental impact.
This eco-design tool makes performance considerations visible when weighing the environmental benefits of a design change. The effects of said changes can be visualized in comparison to the entire projected launcher life cycle. Integrating this tool into early design cycles could systematically reduce the retrospective nature of LCA in launcher design.
| Which section would you like to submit your abstract to? | Session 12: “Towards the integration of all the open aspects in space sustainability” |
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