Authors:
T. Anand, G. Madhan Kumar, Mohammed Omar, Yuri Ryagin, Omar Tawfik, Sami Abdelhamid
Addresses:
Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Department of Computer Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Giza Governorate, Egypt. Department of Low Temperature Physics and Nanoscale Systems, Ural Federal University (UrFU), Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia.
Abstract:
This paper will discuss the sensitivity of Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) to small control surface changes in terms of aerodynamic sensitivity. The study is guided by a 1° deviation of the tail-body fin to explore its influence on the vehicle's stability and flow-field characteristics. The study uses a high-fidelity dataset of 412 discrete instances and advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools to perform transient, unsteady-flow simulations. They are employed to measure complex shock-wave interactions and localized flow separation and vortex shedding that occur during high-speed atmospheric descent. The paper recognizes that nonlinear changes in aerodynamic loads can result from marginal mechanical changes. The simulation provides a holistic picture of the vehicle's reaction during critical flight stages by combining time analysis with spatial pressure mapping. The results show a need to verify that control surface actuators are accurate to ensure vehicle integrity. The results of this work will optimize guidance and control systems on next-generation aerospace platforms and make return-to-earth maneuvers safer and more efficient.
Keywords: Reusable Launch Vehicles; Unsteady Flow; Tail Fin Deflection; Transient Aerodynamics; Computational Fluid Dynamics; High-Speed Spacecraft; Aerodynamic Gliders; Complex Aerodynamics.
Received on: 07/04/2025, Revised on: 28/06/2025, Accepted on: 07/09/2025, Published on: 07/06/2026
DOI: 10.64091/ATIEL.2026.000322
AVE Trends in Intelligent Energy Letters, 2026 Vol. 2 No. 1 , Pages: 14-23