Oblique Cold Launch Technology of Mars Ascent Vehicle

The launch of Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) is the key technology to realize China's 2030 Mars Sample Return. To study the oblique cold launch technology of MAV, based on the theory of interior ballistics of catapults, a parallel recoilless interior ballistic scheme is designed to meet the launch conditions of Mars. Based on the discrete element method, a discrete element model of Mars soil is established. Additionally, a rigid-flexible coupling dynamics model of the launcher system is constructed. Finally, based on the launch dynamics theory, the entire launch process of the MAV under different working conditions is simulated and analyzed. The results show that the internal ballistics scheme obtained can meet the launch requirements. The recoilless design plays an important role in ensuring the stability of the launch vehicle. Discretization of soil helps to characterize the dynamic behavior of Martian soil. The larger the ground inclination angle, the worse the stability and launch accuracy. Among the four directions at the same inclination angle, the stability of the launch facing uphill is the worst. The "virtual leg" phenomenon can reduce launch stability and may even cause the launch device to topple, leading to launch failure.