100 Current Launch Vehicle Data part5 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
Description
This article is from the Space FAQ, by Jon Leech leech@cs.unc.edu and Mark Bradford tla@surly.org with numerous contributions by others.
100 Current Launch Vehicle Data part5 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
Start 1/2 (Russia) Start-1 0/1 ??? 600 ??? $7m ? (1320)
The Start program began with the START vehicle derived form the Soviet SS-20.
In order to avoid conflict over arms control agreements, the project
switched to the Start-1 vehicle, which is derived from Russian SS-25 ICBM.
One mission, carrying small satellites from Israel and Mexico, failed.
Start seems to have enough momentum to overcom this. The fact that
the rockets can be launched from a mobile transporter makes them attractive
to a number of countries which do not have their own launch facilities.
Vehicle | Payload kg (lbs) | Reliability | Price (nation) | LEO Polar GTO | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Titan 26/30 86.7% in last 10 years (USA) Titan II ??? 1,905 ??? 5/5 $43m (4,200) Titan IV/SRM 17,700 14,100 6,350 10/11 $315m-$360m (39,000) (31,100) (14,000) Titan IV/SRMU 21,640 18,600 8,620 0/0 $300m (47,700) (41,000) (19,000)
Titan II vehicles are left over ballistic missiles which have been
refurbished for space launch. They are used for polar orbiting Earth
observation systems. It was a Titan II that launched Clementine. Titan IV
is used mainly for large military payloads, including Milstar communications
spacecraft and classified intelligence platforms. A Titan IV is also
booked to launch NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn. Note that because
all Titan IV launches are government missions, and most are classified,
prices are subject to debate. The SRMU is an advanced solid rocket
booster, which should come online in 1996.
Zenit 22/25 88% (Russia) Zenit 13,740 11,380 4300 $65m (30,300) (25,090) (9480)
Zenit is the newest of the large former Soviet vehicles, having come online
in 1985. It suffered three consecutive failures between 1990 and 1992,
but appears to have overcome those growing pains. Zenits are manufactured
in Ukraine by NPO Yuznoye. Boeing recently announced a joint venture
with NPO Yuznoye and the Norwegian marine engineering company Kvaerner
to launch Zenits from a modified oil platform starting around 1998.
Due to the lower launch site latitude and a new upper stage from RSC Energia,
performance will increase. Payload to GTO will increase to about 5400 kg.
Payload to LEO will be about 13,000 kg. Price is unknown at this time.
Check out Boeing's web page at http://www.boeing.com/sealaunch.html for more
info.
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