Aerodynamic characteristics of a reusable rocket at a representative supersonic recovery condition

Abstract

This study investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of a reusable rocket under a representative supersonic recovery condition of H = 28 km and M = 2.2. Numerical simulations are conducted to examine the effects of angle of attack, control-surface deflection, and nozzle jet location on the aerodynamic forces, moments, and flow-field structures. The results show that the lift coefficient varies approximately sinusoidally with angle of attack, whereas the drag coefficient exhibits a nearly symmetric single-peaked distribution. The pitching moment shows pronounced nonlinear characteristics, and a locally statically stable trim condition is obtained near an angle of attack of 70° for the specified center-of-gravity location. Symmetric control-surface deflection mainly affects the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics, while differential deflection generates significant lateral-directional forces and moments. The aft control surfaces generally provide stronger control effectiveness than the fore control surfaces. Jet location has limited influence at lower angles of attack but becomes more significant at large angles of attack, especially for the bottom jet.