Aquarius (rocket)
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| Function | SSTO Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral, Aerojet, Microcosm |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 43.00 m (141.00 ft) |
| Diameter | 4 m (13.10 ft) |
| Mass | 130 000 kg (10 000 kg empty) (287 000 lb) |
| Stages | 1 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 1000 kg (2200 lb) to a 200 km orbit |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Launch sites | Hawaii |
| Total launches | 0 |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 1 |
| Thrust | 400,000 pounds-force (1.8 MN) |
| Burn time | |
| Fuel | LOX/LH2 |
Aquarius was a low-cost launch vehicle concept designed by Space Systems/Loral to carry small, inexpensive payloads into LEO.
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[edit] 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]
[edit] 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]
[edit] 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]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "aquarius". astronautix.com. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
- ^ Andrew E. Turner (January 30, 2006). "Low-cost launch and orbital depots: the Aquarius system". thespacereview.com.
- ^ Andrew E. Turner, Aaron Leichner (2006-10-24). "Hydrogen Pressurization of LOX: High Risk/High Reward". dtic.mil.
- ^ Andrew E. Turner (2005). "AQUARIUS LOW COST LAUNCH MAIN ENGINE STUDY". AIAA. responsivespace.com. p. 24.
- ^ "2004 U.S. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENTS AND CONCEPTS: VEHICLES, TECHNOLOGIES, AND SPACEPORTS". Commercial Space Transportation Office. p. 15.
- ^ Andrew W. Turner ; William H. Knuth (March/April 2006). "The Vortex Cooled Chamber Wall Engine: A Tamed Tornado". SPACE TIMES Magazine.
- ^ "Space Systems/Loral Proposes Bus for NASA's Cargo Needs" (Press release). Space News. 2007-12-10. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- Space Time magazine, May/June 2001
[edit] External links
- Video presentation Aquarius concept Part 1
- Video presentation Aquarius concept Part 2
- Audio interview Andrew E. Turner on the space show
- Ocean-based launch: extending a successful approach to new applications , Andrew E. Turner , the space review 2007
- LEO on the Cheap. Air University Press. October 1994. ISBN 0-89499-134-5.
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