Blue Whale 1: System engineering and integration results for South Korean micro launcher

Abstract

Small launchers often require different design approaches compared to those of large, conventional launch vehicles, since many mass-critical components are not linearly scalable, and the amount of contribution of the external disturbances to the vehicle control scheme becomes more significant on the vehicles with smaller sizes. Perigee Aerospace Inc., a technical initiative originated from KAIST Department of Aerospace Engineering, is making a radically different approach compared to the already existing small launch vehicle developers to address these issues. Perigee is currently preparing for the maiden flight of its first launch vehicle, Blue Whale 1, by the end of 2020. The vehicle is designed to carry 50 kg of payload into 500 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit with a GTOW of 1,800 kg and a dry mass of only 100 kg, making it one of the lightest, mass-effective, and thus easiest-to-operate vehicles in the world. On this paper, several key technologies and systematic approaches to develop such an efficient launcher is presented; the world's smallest ORSC methane engine where Pc = 12 MPa, a new hybrid turbopump system to feed both preburner (Pc = 25 MPa) and the main combustion chamber at high pressure without sacrificing hydraulic efficiency, fully closed-loop vehicle GNC for more disturbance-prone small launchers, a braided CFRP structure to optimize mass budget, and finally, an agile system engineering management approach for commercial small launch vehicle projects.