MBSE approach to support and formalize mission alternatives generation and selection processes for hypersonic and suborbital transportation systems

This paper deals with the application of a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach to support and formalize mission alternatives generation and selection processes aimed at developing operative hypersonic and suborbital transportation systems. Due to the high-level of complexity of these ultimate aerospace initiatives, a MBSE approach demonstrates to be very effective to allow reduction of risk of inconsistencies, of unappropriated or incompatible design choices, reducing the overall time and effort spent in design and development phases. After a brief introductory section aimed at providing some details about these kinds of vehicles, both in terms of enabling technologies and missions, a step-by-step innovative methodology based on a MBSE approach to carry out mission analysis is proposed. All along the methodology description, the application to a specific reference case study of a suborbital single-stage vehicle aimed at performing commercial parabolic flight services is proposed. Eventually, the selected mission baseline is detailed and the major benefits and further application of this innovative integrated methodology are reported and discussed.