РН Вулкан - Vulcan Centaur heavy-lift launch vehicle (Планов громадье в ULA)

[Seerndv]

А тем временем сам Безос делает ходы:

Глава Amazon купил стартовую площадку для ракет на мысе Канаверал
http://lenta.ru/news/2015/09/16/bezosspace/
Глава интернет-магазина Amazon.com Джефф Безос (Jeff Bezos) рассказал о своих планах освоения космоса: Blue Origin, стартап миллиардера, собирается инвестировать 200 миллионов долларов в производственные мощности и стартовую площадку №36 на базе ВВС США на мысе Канаверал. Об этом со ссылкой на пресс-конференцию Безоса сообщает BBC News.
В отличие от Илона Маска, Безос крайне скупо сообщает прессе о своих планах по освоению космоса. В апреле в Техасе Blue Origin успешно провела испытания суборбитального летательного аппарата New Shepard: хотя ракетный двигатель не вернулся на землю под управлением оператора, как планировалось, капсула для астронавтов успешно осуществила мягкую посадку (с помощью парашюта).


На «космическом побережье» Флориды Безос собирается испытывать ракетный двигатель на жидком метане (кодовое название — Blue Engine-4), разработку которого ему заказало предприятие United Launch Alliance. Этот двигатель планируется установить на ракетах-носителях нового поколения Vulcan. Blue Engine-4 также будет установлен на собственных орбитальных ракетах Blue Origin.
Изначально космическое предприятие Безоса размещалось в Вашингтоне (округ Колумбия), однако закрытие программы шаттлов и высвободившиеся в результате этого рабочие места привлекли бизнесмена во Флориду. Первоначальные инвестиции (200 миллионов долларов) должны создать около 300 рабочих мест.
Кроме того, отметил Безос в своем блоге, на его решение повлиял детский восторг по поводу мощнейших в истории космонавтики ракет-носителейSaturn V, которые взлетали с мыса Канаверал в 1966-1973 годах.
Прибытие компании Безоса во Флориду еще более обострит конкуренцию с Илоном Маском. Space X Маска уже запускает орбитальные ракеты с базы ВВС США на мысе Канаверал. Кроме того, Безос и Маск вели спор о том, кто получит доступ к стартовой площадке шаттлов 39А, расположенной на территории Космического центра имени Кеннеди (также во Флориде).

[Grus]

Только не для ULA, но, возможно, на их деньги.

[Apollo13]

Seerndv пишет:
хотя ракетный двигатель не вернулся на землю под управлением оператора, как планировалось

Seerndv пишет:
Безос собирается испытывать ракетный двигатель на жидком метане (кодовое название — Blue Engine-4), разработку которого ему заказало предприятие United Launch Alliance .

В охумору.

[triage]

Это же Лента и про 39A туда же

[Александр Ч.]

ULA ‏@ulalaunch  13 ч.13 часов назад

ULA selects @OrbitalATK to provide solid rocket boosters for #AtlasV and #VulcanRocket http://bit.ly/1Mouy5Y 

Еще одна потеря для Aerojet.
Цитата из текста по ссылке:

Development of the new solid rocket boosters will commence immediately to support their introduction on ULA's Atlas V vehicle in late 2018 and on ULA's Vulcan vehicle in mid-2019. Vulcan, ULA's next generation launch vehicle, is anticipated to transform the future of space launch for the government and commercial market, making it more affordable, accessible and commercially available.

"Our ability to deliver critical national security, scientific and commercial satellites into the correct orbit for each mission is filled with risks and challenges, and ULA has delivered every time," said Bruno. "This reliability will continue as we develop the right vehicle with the right team."

The new solid motor booster agreement expands the long-term relationship between ULA and Orbital ATK that already includes the supply of composite structures, nozzles, propellant tanks and booster separation motors for the current versions of Delta IV and Atlas V rockets. In addition, ULA will supply two Atlas rockets to provide launch services for Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station for NASA in late 2015 and early 2016. Orbital ATK is also developing a fully integrated third stage to launch NASA's Solar Probe Plus mission on ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2018. 

Новые SRB для Atlas V в конце 2018 и для Vulcan в середине 2019.

[silentpom]

Интересно с какими параметрами - GEM 60 поменьш атласных будет. А вот про третью ступень для дорого зонда - интересно. Хотя если надо легкий зонд разогнать побыстрее - вполне нормальное решение

[Apollo13]

Frode Stokseth ‏@FrodeStokseth  11h11 hours ago
@ulalaunch @torybruno new booster performance increased or same? If increased: Already in previous vulcan estimates or added on top?

Tory Bruno Verified account ‏@torybruno
@FrodeStokseth @ulalaunch Consistent with original Vulcan announcement.  Substantial reduction in cost

ТТУ Орбитал АТК значительно дешевле.

[Apollo13]

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150922006303/en/United-Launch-Alliance-Selects-Orbital-ATK-Provide#.VgJj4fntlBc

United Launch Alliance Selects Orbital ATK to Provide Solid Boosters for Atlas V and Vulcan Launch Vehicles

CENTENNIAL, Colo. & DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA) announced a long-term strategic partnership in which Orbital ATK will become the sole provider of solid rocket boosters for ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan launch vehicles, effective in 2019 when the new motors are ready for launch.


"As ULA transforms the space lift industry, strong partners such as Orbital ATK are critical to reducing cost, introducing cutting-edge innovation and continuing our focus on mission success," said Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "We have relied for decades on Orbital ATK's industry leading rocket motor technology, which is ideally suited to support our future rocket launch plans."

Under this partnership, Orbital ATK is investing in the design, development and qualification of two new rocket motors with design similarities to each other that leverage the company's proven solid motor technology. These motors will significantly lower the price to ULA and to the U.S. government. They will be used to support launches of ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan vehicles and will also be commercially available to support other customers.

"With this strategic partnership, ULA and Orbital ATK will offer customers better value and reliable access to space," said David W. Thompson, president and CEO of Orbital ATK. "The capabilities and technology of the newly-merged Orbital ATK enabled us to expand the partnership with ULA to help lower costs and maintain the highest standards of mission assurance."

Development of the new solid rocket boosters will commence immediately to support their introduction on ULA's Atlas V vehicle in late 2018 and on ULA's Vulcan vehicle in mid-2019. Vulcan, ULA's next generation launch vehicle, is anticipated to transform the future of space launch for the government and commercial market, making it more affordable, accessible and commercially available.

"Our ability to deliver critical national security, scientific and commercial satellites into the correct orbit for each mission is filled with risks and challenges, and ULA has delivered every time," said Bruno. "This reliability will continue as we develop the right vehicle with the right team."

The new solid motor booster agreement expands the long-term relationship between ULA and Orbital ATK that already includes the supply of composite structures, nozzles, propellant tanks and booster separation motors for the current versions of Delta IV and Atlas V rockets. In addition, ULA will supply two Atlas rockets to provide launch services for Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station for NASA in late 2015 and early 2016. Orbital ATK is also developing a fully integrated third stage to launch NASA's Solar Probe Plus mission on ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2018.

ULA has a strong heritage in providing reliable space access for government and commercial entitles under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads. The company recently marked the 99th successful one-at-a-time launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

ТТУ будут новые, а не от Дельты-4.

[Apollo13]

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/ula-selects-orbital-atks-gem-6363-xl-srbs-for-atlas-v-and-vulcan-boosters/

ULA SELECTS ORBITAL ATK'S GEM 63/63 XL SRBS FOR ATLAS V AND VULCAN BOOSTERS


Colorado-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced on Sept. 22, 2015, that it had sel ected Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) produced by Orbital ATK on the venerable Atlas V and forthcoming Vulcan launch systems. The GEM 63 will replace Aerojet Rocketdyne's AJ-60A SRBs on upcoming flights of the Atlas V, and the XL version of the booster has been sel ected to aid certain versions of Vulcan aloft. 
According to statements from Orbital ATK and ULA representatives to SpaceFlight Insider, the SRBs will be ready to support flights as early as 2019 – when ULA currently plans to have the first flight of Vulcan take place.
"We'll have the GEM 63 static-fired and qualified in late 2018... and I think that would equate to an initial launch with GEM-63s in 2019, probably early that year," Orbital ATK's Program Manager for GEM 63/63 XL Jason Meredith told SpaceFlight Insider.

Although the solid rocket boosters in this image bear a resemblance to the AJ-60A, it now appears that the GEM 63XL will provide the extra lift requirements of the Vulcan system.
Image Credit: ULA


According to Meredith, both the GEM 63 and 63XL should be ready to support missions by the end of 2018. These two motors will have one substantial difference, owing to the size of the rockets on which they will be utilized.
"We are continuing the development process, as it is fairly early for the Vulcan, but right now, we're talking about a difference that's on the order of about five feet in length [between the 63 and the 63 XL], hence the 'XL' in the motor's name," Meredith said.
ULA is working to have the Vulcan booster to be certified and ready to send payloads to orbit for customers such as the U.S. Department of Defense (once Vulcan has been approved to fly under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program), NASA, and commercial satellite firms. The new launch system employs many elements that currently fly on the Atlas V and Delta IV
Both ULA and Orbital ATK noted that having one family of SRBs, with variants in place that can be flown on all of the families of boosters fielded by ULA, was a key consideration behind today's announcement.
"There will be a lot of commonality between the two boosters. The strap-on motors there will be called the GEM 63 and the GEM 63XL. The GEM 63 will be designed to provide the performance to the Atlas V that is delivered to date [by the AJ-60A]. So, it is a 'drop-in' replacement. Whereas [with] the GEM 63XL, we're working closely with ULA to develop that strap-on booster to meet the performance requirements of the Vulcan launch vehicle," said Orbital ATK's Jason Meredith.
Meredith noted the similarities between the 63 and 63XL can be traced back to another SRB produced by Orbital ATK – the GEM 60 (which is currently used on ULA's Delta IV family of rockets).
ULA was asked as to what caused the Launch Service Provider opted to move away fr om the Aerojet Rocketdyne's AJ-60A and toward the new GEM 63.
"Orbital ATK is the best option for Atlas V and Vulcan. We've carefully reviewed all of our options," ULA's Lyn Chassagne said.

The Gem 63/63XL will be based on Orbital ATK's GEM-60 solid rocket boosters. Photo Credit: Jared Haworth / SpaceFlight Insider


Besides its experience with the GEM 60, Orbital ATK also has experience in other, far larger solid rocket motors (the firm produced the four segment boosters for NASA's Space Shuttle Program and is currently developing a five-segment version for NASA's new Space Launch System super heavy-lift booster).
While there are similarities between the Atlas V and Vulcan launch vehicles, there are enough differences to require that two distinct SRBs be produced.
"From our perspective, to meet the requirements of the Vulcan launch systems, we did have to, I'll say, 'super-size' – increase the size of the 63 – to meet those requirements that we're working on with ULA for Vulcan," Meredith noted.
From the perspective of Orbital ATK, the selection to go with the GEM 63 was tied to one of the most crucial concerns of the NewSpace era – cost.
"Part of what we see is the opportunity for lower-cost on the Vulcan launch vehicle – is the synergy in providing both of those strap-on boosters – for both the Atlas V and Vulcan and so that was part of what we discussed with ULA... as they move work to transition fr om the Atlas V to Vulcan. That's part of the low-cost solution that we provided ULA for their SRB requirements."
Representatives with United Launch Alliance noted in a release, co-issued by the two companies, that risk mitigation and continuing the successful track record that the Atlas V currently enjoys also played its part in Tuesday's announcement.
"Our ability to deliver critical national security, scientific, and commercial satellites into the correct orbit for each mission is filled with risks and challenges, and ULA has delivered every time," said Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "This reliability will continue as we develop the right vehicle with the right team."
This announcement serves to underline other agreements between the two aerospace firms. ULA has already been tapped to provide two Atlas V 401 boosters to hoist Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft out of Earth's gravity well and on their way to the International Space Station under the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services agreement Orbital ATK has with NASA – the first flight is currently slated for Dec. 3, 2015, and the second flight sometime in 2016.
When asked about what prompted ULA to select the GEM 63, Meredith reiterated that the need to keep costs to a minimum, as well as having the same firm produce both boosters, played a role in the decision-making process. A view underscored by Bruno.
"As ULA transforms the space lift industry, strong partners such as Orbital ATK are critical to reducing cost, introducing cutting-edge innovation and continuing our focus on mission success," Bruno said. "We have relied for decades on Orbital ATK's industry leading rocket motor technology, which is ideally suited to support our future rocket launch plans."
If used in a similar fashion as the AJ-60A, the GEM 63 would likely be used in various configurations (between 0–5 of the SRBs being used) on the Atlas V. When one considers some of the similar characteristics between the Atlas V and Vulcan systems, it is likely that similar configurations could be used. These boosters are employed when the upmass requirements of a payload require more thrust. Dependent on the weight of these spacecraft, different numbers of the GEM 63XL will be affixed to the Vulcan's first stage.

[Петр Зайцев]

Вот же халява, хорошо когда в стране есть 2 фирмы делающие ТТУ. Не понравилась одна, перешёл на другую.

[Apollo13]

Петр Зайцев пишет:
Вот же халява, хорошо когда в стране есть 2 фирмы делающие ТТУ. Не понравилась одна, перешёл на другую.

Такими темпами скоро одна останется.

[silentpom]

ну реально ATK делает ТТУ в разы больше всех остальных вместе взятых

[Александр Ч.]

Просто фото с макетами:

Zach Kromer‏@Astro_Zach
@torybruno @ulalaunch

16:02 - 26 сент. 2015 г.

[silentpom]

с макетами чего??? а, это дельта 2 и дельта 4?

[silentpom]

Видел ULA презентацию со всевозможными сочетаниями модулей и бустеров, там на хэви собирались цеплять ТТУ бустеры. Но судя по всему эти планы все.

[Александр Ч.]

silentpom пишет:
с макетами чего??? а, это дельта 2 и дельта 4?

Впереди вторая и третья, перс обнимается с четвертыми, М+ и Хеви.

[Grus]

Петр Зайцев пишет:
Вот же халява, хорошо когда в стране есть 2 фирмы делающие ТТУ. Не понравилась одна, перешёл на другую.

У европейцев то же. Есть итальянцы, а есть французы. И они соперничают, хотя в Италии началось с лицензионного производства старой французской разработки. Эти ТТУ существенно разные теперь.

[che wi]

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N), has won an $882 million contract to continue launching satellites for the U.S. Air Force with its Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The U.S. Defense Department said the contract covers launch capability, mission integration, base and range support, maintenance, depreciation on equipment, mission assurance, program management, systems engineering, and launch site and range operations during fiscal year 2016, which begins Oct. 1.

Air Force and company officials had no immediate comment on how many rocket launches would be included in the contract.

Separately, U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday released a compromise version of the $612 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal 2016 that would allow ULA to use a total of nine more Russian-built RD-180 rocket engines to compete for military and spy satellite launch contracts using its Atlas V rockets.

ULA and Air Force officials had urged lawmakers to relax a ban on use of the engines imposed last year after Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine, to bridge the time until ULA is ready to start flying its new U.S.-powered Vulcan rocket.

The fiscal 2015 defense authorization bill had allowed ULA to use just five engines, but the new bill would add four more.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/30/us-lockheed-martin-boeing-ula-idUSKCN0RT2V120150930

[Seerndv]

Defense Bill Limits ULA to 9 More Russian-built Engines
 
by Warren Ferster — September 30, 2015


The Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the 2016 NDAA, which exempted a total of nine RD-180 engines, prevailed in the compromise bill hashed out by House and Senate conferees. Credit: ULA

WASHINGTON — U.S. House and Senate negotiators completed work Sept. 29 on a defense authorization bill for 2016 that gives government launch services provider United Launch Alliance access to far fewer Russian-made engines than the company says it needs to stay viable in its core national security market as it develops a new rocket featuring a domestic propulsion system.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016, which pending passage in both houses of Congress will be sent to U.S. President Barack Obama to be signed into law, also would end annual U.S. Air Force payments to ULA that critics have long branded as a subsidy.
The Air Force, meanwhile, recently made what presumably is the last such payment, an $882 million Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Launch Capability contract modification that covers Atlas 5 and Delta 4 launch services during fiscal year 2016, the Defense Department announced Sept. 29. EELV Launch Capability contracts, awarded annually, cover services not necessarily associated with a given launch, making it difficult to put an exact price point on individual ULA missions.
But the limitation on access to the Russian-built RD-180, the main engine on the Atlas 5, represents a potentially bigger problem for Denver-based ULA, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture that since its 2006 creation has effectively had the government launch services market all to itself. Now facing a competitive challenge from upstart SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, ULA is planning to introduce a new launcher dubbed Vulcan around 2020 but needs to continue launching its workhorse Atlas 5 in the meantime to stay in the game.
Congress banned future use of Russian engines for U.S. national security launches in the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2015 in response to Russia's 2014 incursion into neighboring Ukraine. The ban exempted five RD-180s that were already on order at the time of the law's enactment, according to the Air Force and ULA, who have pushed Congress for access to more engines.
The House Armed Services Committee's version of the 2016 NDAA would have granted access to an additional nine engines, making a total of 14 available for future Air Force competitions. But the Senate committee's version, reflecting the wishes of its chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a frequent ULA critic, exempted just four more engines, for a total of nine. The Senate position prevailed in the compromise bill hashed out by House and Senate conferees.
ULA has said it is retiring all but the heavy-lift version of its Delta 4 rocket in the next couple of years because it is too expensive to be competitive. There is no heavy-lift version of the Atlas 5, but that rocket is far less expensive and thus is used far more frequently — including exclusively by NASA, whose launches are not subject to the RD-180 ban.
ULA ultimately plans to replace the Atlas 5 with the Vulcan, whose first stage would be powered by the BE-4 engine being developed by Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin, but envisions at least a couple of years of overlapping operations between the two vehicles. The Air Force has said ULA needs access to at least 18 more RD-180 engines — including the five already exempted — to remain competitive with SpaceX's aggressively priced Falcon 9 rocket in the national security market over the next several years.
In a statement provided to SpaceNews by ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye, the company said, "Congress' actions in the NDAA are a beginning to providing a transition from the Atlas V to a future all-American rocket and engine. While the RD-180 engines authorized by Congress are a start, the number authorized will unfortunately not be enough to keep Atlas flying to support national security needs until Vulcan is developed, tested and certified."
ULA said it will continue to work with Congress to secure enough RD-180s to ensure competition in the military launch market.
Report language accompanying the Senate version of the bill has suggested that Atlas 5's intended for NASA could be repurposed for military use should that become absolutely necessary.
The conference bill contains another measure that could spell trouble for ULA's current plans: a directive that funding provided by Congress to develop an American alternative to the RD-180 be used for that purpose only. That presumably means the money — Congress appropriated $225 million in 2015 — cannot be used for Vulcan development.
In selecting the BE-4 as its next main engine, ULA effectively spurned U.S. propulsion provider Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is developing an engine dubbed AR1 that it says can be retrofitted with the Atlas 5 relatively easily but would need substantial government funding to complete. ULA is providing some support for AR1 development as a backup option in case Blue Origin falters on the BE-4.
But in choosing the BE-4, which cannot work with the Atlas 5, ULA committed itself to developing a new rocket, which is likely to cost $2 billion or more between the vehicle and the new engine.
ULA has said it would rely on its corporate parents to pay Vulcan's development costs outside of the BE-4, which Blue Origin is funding internally. To date, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which have booked substantial profit on ULA revenue, have been providing funds for Vulcan work on a quarterly basis.
Craig Cooning, president of Boeing Network and Space Systems of El Segundo, California, and chairman of ULA's board, said recently that Vulcan should be a government-funded development effort. He also said ULA must have continued access to the RD-180 to stay in business until Vulcan is ready to take over.
Spokespersons for Boeing were not immediately available for comment.

- и ещё неоднократно, выйдет зайчик ( РД-180) погулять  

[silentpom]

ULA accounted for 29 percent of Lockheed Martin Space Systems' operating profit in 2013, contributing $300 million in cash, - See more at: http://spacenews.com/39543military-space-quarterly-ula-keeps-lockheed-space-profit-up-as-revenue/#sthash.nSTD3jxF.dpuf

сколько же они гребут с одного пуска?