Capricornio (rocket)
.jpg) | |
| Function | Orbital launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Size | |
| Height | 18.25 m |
| Diameter | 1.00 m |
| Mass | 15,035 kg |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 140 kg |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Canceled |
| Launch sites | El Hierro |
| First stage - Castor 4B | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 429 kN |
| Burn time | 61 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Second stage Deneb-F | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 167.9 kN |
| Burn time | 35.6 seconds |
| Propellant | solid |
| Third stage - Mizar-B | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 50.29 kN |
| Burn time | 33.8 seconds |
| Propellant | solid |
Capricornio was a Spanish satellite launch vehicle developed by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in the 1990s.[1] It was expected to be a low cost solution to place up to 70 kg payloads into 600 km polar orbits or 60 to 140 kg payloads into low Earth orbit. Part of the technology was related to Argentina's Condor missile program.
Development
- First phase: development of solid motors using the INTA-100 and INTA-300 sounding rockets, launched from the El Arenosillo test range in southern Spain.
- Second phase: use Capricornio second and third stages as the Argos sounding rocket (originally planned for winter 1998-99[2]).
- Third phase: first launch of the full Capricornio rocket, carrying a micro-satellite.
Configuration
Three-stage solid propellant launcher. Overall length of 18.25 m, body diameter of 1.0 m and weighs 15,035 kg at launch.
- Stage 1 contains a Thiokol Castor 4B[3] motor with HTPB solid propellant.
- Stage 2 contains a motor named Deneb-F.[4]
- Stage 3 contains a motor named Mizar-B.[4]
Projected flights
The first flight of Capricornio was scheduled to take place from El Hierro[5] in late 1999 or 2000. It would carry two small satellites:[6] Nanosat 01 (developed by the Polytechnic University of Madrid) and Venus (Polytechnic University of Madrid and other universities in Mexico and Argentina).
References
- ^ "Capricorno". Astronautix.com. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ^ "Capricornio project". Sat-net.com. 1998-10-19. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ^ "Thiokol to Supply Rocket Boosters for Spain's Capricornio Launch Vehicle New Three-Stage Booster Under Development for Small Payloads - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. 1997-06-16. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ^ a b "Capricornio". B14643.de. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ^ "Spain in Space" (PDF). Esa.int. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ^ "Capricorno". Astronautix.com. Retrieved 2013-10-22.