Optimizing multidisciplinary scaled tests in terrestrial atmosphere for extraterrestrial unmanned aerial vehicle missions

Unmanned aerial vehicles are a valid tool for exploring celestial objects that have atmosphere. The design process of these vehicles includes numerical analysis phase, which is then followed by an experimental flight test campaign in order to validate and refine the design. In terrestrial conditions, it is impossible to use the full size prototype and recreate all the conditions of extraterrestrial flight. The only option is to use a scaled model maintaining certain similarity parameters to the prototype. This would, however, not reproduce the global multidisciplinary behavior in terrestrial conditions. Alternatively, relaxing similarity constraints enables reproducing the global multidisciplinary behavior but introduces known and measurable similarity differences. The objective of this study is to provide a methodology for designing a relaxed similarity scaled model for terrestrial multidisciplinary tests for any extraterrestrial unmanned aerial vehicle. The methodology is then applied to a case scenario in order to verify its validity.