Flight Dynamics Design of the BOLT-1B Flight Experiment

The Boundary Layer Transition 1B (BOLT-1B) Flight Experiment was successfully flown on September 2, 2024, from Andøya Space with the goal of acquiring boundary-layer transition measurements during hypersonic flight. The flight was the successor to the 2021 BOLT-1A Flight Experiment, which experienced roll-pitch coupling and was unable to achieve its intended hypersonic experiment conditions. Much of the preflight design work for BOLT-1B investigated the behavior of BOLT-1A to understand, replicate, and ultimately mitigate the conditions needed to enter this unstable mode of flight. This paper presents the associated flight dynamics design work that assessed various configurations of the vehicle during the development phase of the project, culminating in the final preflight estimates of vehicle performance and scientific conditions for the planned experiment.