A generalized staging optimization program for space launch vehicles

This paper addresses the staging optimization problem for multistage rockets which carry payloads from the Earth´s surface into the Earth orbits. In the early design phases, requirements are not so strict, there are many unknowns and problem arises as to what is the optimum staging to achieve the given mission. Therefore, designers need simplified tools providing a quick insight on the vehicle performance with minimum basic vehicle data. For this purpose, a Matlab® based computer program has been written to determine staging parameters (number of stages, mass distribution between stages, and the propellant and structural masses for each individual stage) which minimize the gross lift-off mass of the launch vehicle for a specific mission.