Reusable launch systems demand more from ground infrastructure: a vehicle must be raised for launch, then recovered, handled and brought back horizontal after landing. Within the Horizon Europe project SALTO, MT Aerospace and GTD has developed an automated erector demonstrator to make these operations less complex, less risky and less costly.

Mapping of the process. Starting on the ground, not the pad

Rather than starting with launch pad operations, the MT Aerospace team began by mapping the vehicle’s full journey on the ground, from arrival at the harbour to its return to the processing site. Reusability changes this process at every level: operations, planning and the technologies needed to support them. A reusable vehicle doesn’t just leave the ground, it comes back and has to be handled again. It must be transported, raised, launched, recovered and returned to a horizontal position. Each extra movement and handling step adds operational risk and cost, so every step has to be designed into ground infrastructure from the outset.

Choosing the concept  

When planning for the concept of the erector for reusable launcher, the MT Aerospace team had to investigate various scenarios and take into consideration costs, flexibility, number of steps of the ground process one device can cover as well as the number of people that need to be on site for the launch operations.

The chosen concept is now being tested as a scaled, automated erector demonstrator, developed by MT Aerospace in collaboration with GTD in Spain. It checks the erector’s main functions, above all remote operation and verticalisation of the launcher.

The demonstrator is built from aluminium profiles, pneumatic cylinders, electric valves and sensors. With these it performs all the movements needed for the main sequences, raising a mock-up launcher to vertical just as a full-size system would.

 

Automated and manual mode

The erector can perform all the sequences in two modes:

  • Manual mode: each position is reached one movement at a time.
  • Automatic mode: a whole group of movements runs as a single sequence.

A PLC (programmable logic controller) controls the erector’s movements, and operators supervise them through an HMI (human–machine interface). There are two operating modes:

The lift-up and retraction sequences were designed in advance to match the launcher’s needs and to meet geometric and safety requirements. Each sequence can be programmed separately, so engineers can fine-tune one step without redesigning the rest.

 

Why automate?

There are two reasons: flexibility and safety. With automation the workflow can be adjusted more easily, and fewer people need to be on site during critical operations. Fewer people near a heavy vehicle on the move means less risk to staff.

For reusable launchers, which need ground operations that are fast and repeatable, that combination matters a lot. Testing it at small scale also lets the team find problems early and cheaply, before building full-size hardware.