97 Current Launch Vehicle Data part2 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
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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.
97 Current Launch Vehicle Data part2 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
Delta 48/49 98% in last 10 years (USA) * Delta Lite 1985 1510 660 ~$25m w/o SSRM (4365) (3320) (1450) * Delta Lite 2610 2030 860 ~$25m w/ SSRM (5740) (4465) (1890) * Delta 7326 2865 2095 950 ??? (6300) (4610) (2090) Delta 7925 5,045 3,830 1,820 $50m (11,100) (8,420) (4,000) * Delta III ? ? 3,800 ??? (8,400)
The Delta launch vehicle family is built and marketed by McDonnell Douglas.
The Delta II (6925 and 7925 configurations) has proved reliable, but is
too small for most geosynchronous satellites. Therefore, McDonnell Douglas
is developing the Delta III, with a much larger payload. Hughes has
purchased 10 launches for its satellites. New Delta versions were also
designed for NASA's Med-Lite contract, which sought launch vehicles between
the size of small launchers like Pegasus, and the Delta II, which was the
smallest of the large launchers. The smaller Delta versions will be used
for future Mars missions, among other things. First launches for each
of the new vehicles are planned for 1998.
Vehicle | Payload kg (lbs) | Reliability | Price (nation) | LEO Polar GTO | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- H series 12/12 100% (Japan) H-2 10,500 6600 4000 3/3 $160m (23,000) (14,500) (8800)
The H-2 is the first Japanese launch vehicle to be entirely developed
domestically. Previous N series and H-1 vehicles used Delta components.
The H-2 is designed to carry heavy payloads to orbit and has worked well
so far. However, it is unlikely to be commercially attractive in the near
future, due to high costs and low flight rates. NASDA hopes to cut
costs by as much as 50% by the turn of the century, in part by simplifying
the design and including some foreign components. The H-2 is the
cornerstone of NASDA's plans for increasing activities in space, including
eventual human missions.
J series 0/0 $43m (Japan) * J-1 900 ??? ??? (1980)
The J-1 is a small booster developed jointly by NASDA, Japan's space
applications agency, and ISAS, the science agency. It combines solid
boosters from the H-2 and M-3S-II vehicles. First launch is scheduled for
February of 1996. Like other Japanese vehicles, the J-1 is for government
use, and is not expected to be commercialized in the near future.
Kosmos 371/377 98.4% (Russia) Kosmos [400 km circular orbit] $??? 51 degrees - 1400 kg 83 degrees - 1105 kg
Kosmos (also spelled Cosmos) is a Russian vehicle comparable in size to
the American Taurus. (That is, the OSC Taurus, not the Ford Taurus).
Following back to back failures of the Pegasus XL, LLV, and Conestoga in
the summer and fall of 1995, Kosmos attracted attention in the United
States as an alternative launcher with a more reliable history. Several
companies have worked out joint agreements with the manufacturer, Polyot.
Assured Space Access appears to be the current favorite, although other
companies have also been involved. Final Analysis Inc. has reserved a
number of launches for its own use and is marketing extra payload space
on those launches.
Space News says Kosmos has launched roughly 730 times, in contrast to the
numbers above, from Isakowitz. The 1991-1992 edition of Europe and Asia in
Space says Ksomos had reached orbit 389 times. I assume the Space News
figure is a typo, unless anyone has other information.
Lockheed Launch Vehicle 0/1 (U.S) LLV-1 795 515 --- $16m (1,755) (1140) * LLV-2 1,985 1490 593 $22m (4,835) (3,145) (1305) * LLV-3 3,655 2,855 1,136 TBD (8,060) (6,295) (2,500)
The first flight of the LLV-1 failed during the summer of 1995 when the
vehicle began pitching out of control. The cause of the accident was still
under investigation at this writing. Fortunately, the vehicle has a
good order book for such a new vehicle, including NASA's Lewis and Clark
satellites, and the Lunar Prospector mission. Therefore the LLV should
be able to overcome this initial setback. The LLV-3 version has four
variants, with 2 to 6 Castor IVA small solid rocket boosters. Space News
reports that Lockheed Martin will change the name of the booster to "Astria."
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