Aquarius (rocket)
Proposed hydrolox vehicle launched from the ocean From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aquarius is a launch vehicle concept designed for low-cost by Space Systems/Loral to carry small, inexpensive payloads into low earth orbit.
| |
| Function | SSTO Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral, Aerojet, Microcosm |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 43.00 m (141.08 ft) |
| Diameter | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Mass | 130,000 kg (290,000 lb) (10,000 kg (22,000 lb) empty) |
| Stages | 1 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) to a 200 km orbit |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Launch sites | Hawaii |
| Total launches | 0 |
| stage | |
| Powered by | 1 |
| Maximum thrust | 400,000 lbf (1.8 MN) |
| Propellant | LOX/LH2 |
Concept
The vehicle was primarily intended for launching bulk products, like water, fuel, and other consumables, that are inexpensive to replace in the event of a launch failure. The target launch cost was $1 million. Aquarius was designed to be a single-stage vehicle 43 meters (141 ft) high and 4 meters (13.1 ft) in diameter and powered by a single pressure fed engine using liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants stored in a composite pressure tank.[1] Launch would have taken place from a floating position in the ocean to minimize launch infrastructure with the ability to place a 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) payload into a 200-kilometer (120 mi), 52-degree orbit. The payload, located in the base of the vehicle, would be extracted by an orbiting space tug for transfer to its ultimate destination, like the ISS or a propellant depot, after which the vehicle would de-orbit and be destroyed.[2]
Vortex Cooled Chamber Wall Engine
Space Systems/Loral teamed with Microcosm, and Wilson Composite Technologies to study Aquarius under a $110,000 grant awarded by the state of California in April 2001 and delivered a final report in June 2002.
Funding of $1 million was provided in the FY 2004 Defense Appropriations Act to develop a prototype of the low-cost engine for the vehicle. The engine would provide 400,000 pounds-force (1.8 MN) of thrust using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants. For the engine development, Space Systems/Loral is partnered with Aerojet, ORBITEC and Microcosm, under the auspices of the Air Force Research Laboratory and was completed in 2006.[3][4] It confirmed that an ORBITEC engine design with inherently low cost can be scaled up to an intermediate thrust level, from which the next scale-up step to Aquarius should be achievable. [5][6]
COTS bid
The proposal made with Constellation Services International for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services in 2006 was not selected.[7]$150 million was the planned development cost, as part of a $700 million project (that included a space tug). 100 launches per year were needed to be profitable. One third of the launches were by design allowed to fail. Target costs were $1 million per launch or $1000/kg to LEO.[1]
Design specification
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.