Northrop Grumman Space Systems launch vehicles are used in a variety of missions including delivering satellites to orbit and suborbital missions to protect our nation. On the launch pad these vehicles are supplied with electrical power, communications, pressurized gasses and other various resources through a variety of cables and hoses. These cables and hoses that connect the vehicle to the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) are referred to as umbilical cables. To ensure the performance of our vehicles during lift off, it is important to retract the umbilical lines away from the vehicle to avoid interference.
The objective of this project is to design an umbilical retraction system. The umbilical retraction system will be designed to pull cables/hoses away from the vehicle after they are released to avoid damage to the launch vehicle. The retraction system needs to be easily installed and removable. It cannot exert excessive force on the umbilical cables prior to separation with the launch vehicle. In addition, it needs to be reliable for mission success and durable to withstand launch environments. Further improvements may also be made to the system at the discretion of the team such as protection of the umbilical cables against thermal and shock environments.
Northrop Grumman
