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

Автор Петр Зайцев, 11.08.2009 16:17:18

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tnt22

ЦитироватьJeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 9:24 - 28 нояб. 2018 г.

Bruno: "significant capital improvements" to ULA's factor in Decatur, Ala., to allow up to 20 Vulcan Centaur rockets a year to be produced there. #SpaceCom2018


9:29 - 28 нояб. 2018 г.

Bruno: doing modifications to existing Atlas pads to support Vulcan, making upgrades between launches so that they can support both vehicles. #SpaceCom2018

tnt22

ЦитироватьULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 9:29 - 28 нояб. 2018 г.

Modifications under way at Space Launch Complex-41!
#VulcanCentaur #AtlasV
Цитировать TMRO‏ @tmro 9:28 - 28 нояб. 2018 г.

Launch pad will support two different rockets! Flexible fingers of structure morph to shape of different rockets and configurations. World first multi-use launch platform!
@ulalaunch @torybruno #SpaceCom2018
ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 9:35 - 28 нояб. 2018 г.

.@torybruno #VulcanCentaur single stick will have 25% more capability than #DeltaIV Heavy at 1/3 cost.
#SpaceCom2018

tnt22

ЦитироватьULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 15:34 - 29 нояб. 2018 г.

#ISpy the new liquid natural gas tanks that we'll use to fuel the booster stage of our next-gen #VulcanCentaur rocket. First launch in 2021!




15:34 - 29 нояб. 2018 г.

Modifications are underway to allow Space Launch Complex-41 to support #AtlasV and #VulcanCentaur launches during the Atlas V flyout.

Salo

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3658/1
ЦитироватьBuilding a better booster (part 1)
by Jeffrey L. Smith
Monday, February 11, 2019  Comments (17)

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems successfully test fired the new GEM 63 motor on September 20, 2018. (credit: Northrop Grumman)
 
 Normally, the first test of a new rocket engine or motor is a rather secretive affair witnessed only by engineers and top-level customer representatives. While the tension of firing a new rocket was still present, the atmosphere last September 20, when Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS) first fired the new GEM 63 solid rocket motor, was much more festive.
 The GEM 63 is a jointly funded effort between NGIS and the US Air Force, and so it's expected to see airmen and experts fr om the Aerospace Corporation (the Air Force's technical experts on rockets) on hand to witness the event. Much less expected though, were representatives fr om United Launch Alliance (ULA), who will use the GEM 63, and NASA, neither of which were directly paying for the test. Even less surprising was that the event included a soundtrack featuring the greatest hits of The Eagles pumped in through a Jumbotron, and the presence of busloads of schoolchildren and other onlookers who were about to receive the STEM lesson of a lifetime. Such was the apparent confidence of the NGIS team going into a test that they already knew was going to succeed: if they've already got the fireworks, why not have a party?
 The test went off perfectly, putting on a great show and living up to the confidence the NGIS team had in its success. Less than three weeks later, on October 10, this confidence was mirrored by the Air Force as NGIS was included in the next round of Launch Service Agreements to fund development of the next generation of rockets to launch military satellites. In the long-awaited award, ULA won exactly $967 million, Blue Origin was awarded $500 million on the nose, and NGIS won $791,601,015 (can you tell which of these three submitted their Certified Cost or Pricing Data?) With this win, NGIS will continue development of their own OmegA rocket with a first launch planned for 2021. September's test was just the first of many as the GEM 63 family of motors is slated to be used on NGIS's OmegA as well as ULA's current Atlas V and future Vulcan rockets.
 While the NGIS team made testing a new motor and winning a highly competitive contract look easy, anyone in the rocket business knows it takes a lot of unseen work to make it look that easy. Successfully winning a contract is just one important step of many, and does not guarantee a successful outcome. In the past, similarly ambitious programs have sometimes met with disastrous results. The parallels and differences with similar efforts three decades ago provide important insights into how the entire aerospace industry is changing to meet new technical and business challenges.

Спойлер
Fireworks at the GEM 63 test

 The GEM 63 program started out of ULA's need to improve both the performance and the price of its next generation rocket. In order to end the use of Russian engines on its existing Atlas V and to better compete with launch companies like SpaceX, in 2015 ULA announced the Vulcan rocket. Vulcan would take the best parts of Atlas and scale them up for the next generation of larger military and civilian satellites.
 At the time, ULA said they would need 20 percent more performance fr om the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) that attach to side of the rocket, but no decision on a supplier was announced. At that point, ULA was purchasing SRBs fr om both of America's premier solid rocket motor manufacturers. Aerojet supplied the AJ-60A for the Lockheed Martin-heritage Atlas V, while Orbital ATK (now NGIS) produced the GEM series for the Boeing-heritage Delta IV rocket. While the first images of Vulcan showed enlarged versions of Aerojet's SRBs, the race was on to see which of the two companies could meet both ULA's cost and performance goals and become the sole motor supplier for Vulcan.

When announced in 2015, initial Vulcan (right) images showed boosters similar to the AJ-60A used on the Atlas V (left). (credit: NASA, ULA)

 Picking the supplier for a critical component of your flagship rocket is a major decision and many factors have to be taken into consideration. While rockets may operate in a vacuum, the rocket industry doesn't. In 2013, Aerojet had acquired Rocketdyne to form Aerojet Rocketdyne, and the new company was looking for ways to reduce costs and save money. As part of these plans, Aerojet would announce moving their corporate headquarters out of the Sacramento, California, suburb of Rancho Cordova in early 2016 as well as the engineering and manufacturing center there just a year later. Either the factory would have to be kept open longer for a single customer or it would require a complete move and reconstitution of the AJ-60A manufacturing line—both expensive propositions.
 Rockets are tricky beasts, and moving a rocket factory is both tricky and expensive. Even if you take the exact same machines and set them up in the exact same way, you can never be certain if they will operate precisely as they had before until you've actually done it. Will the machines vibrate more or less because the ground they sit on is different? Will the operations be affected by differences in humidity because the weather is different in another part of the country? Will all the key people who know how to correctly build your rocket be willing to relocate their families somewh ere else? And finally, how would all these plans affect the Atlas V, which was still scheduled to fly until at least 2022?
 With these events unfolding, Orbital ATK was able to make a double pitch: they would produce a family of two brand new motors. Not only would they promise to make the SRBs for the next generation Vulcan at their existing Utah facilities, but they'd also take on the job of building SRBs for the remaining flights of the Atlas V. It is extremely rare for an existing rocket to switch the manufacturer of such a vital component midway through its operational life. On top of that, Orbital ATK promised to fund all of the upfront engineering costs themselves using a combination of internal and Air Force funding and also deliver the new motors at a price some 40 percent lower than the existing AJ-60A, for which ULA charges $5 million. And so in late 2015, ULA sel ected Orbital ATK to produce all of their future SRBs.

Cross section of the NGIS GEM 63 (above) and the Aerojet AJ-60A (below, with aerodynamic nosecone removed) that it replaces. (credits: above - Northrop Grumman, below - Sutton & Biblarz, 8th ed.)

 The new booster family would come in two versions: the GEM 63 (Graphite-Epoxy Motor case, 63-inch diameter) for the Atlas V and, later, the GEM 63XL (eXtended Length) for the new Vulcan. Both motors have cases made of Hexcel carbon fiber and NGIS's own proprietary CLRF-100 epoxy resin that have used on other GEM motors. The motors will be thermally insulated with industry-standard EPDM rubber on the inside to protect from the extreme temperature of the rocket's flame and sheets of cork on the outside to protect from the intense heating that comes from flying many times the speed of sound.
 Both motors will be filled with NGIS's existing QDL propellant recipe, a high-performance HTPB-based mixture already in use on smaller GEM rocket motors. Inside the GEM 63's 20.1-meter (66-foot) length, the motor will hold 39,700 kilograms (97,500 pounds) of this propellant and burn it up in just 94 seconds to produce a 1,300 psi flame and some 373,000 pounds-force of thrust for the Atlas V. When stretched out to its full 22-meter (72-foot) length, its older sibling the GEM 63XL will burn 48,000 kilograms (105,800 pounds) of propellant to create 454,000 pounds-force of thrust in an even faster 84 seconds!
 For those keeping score at home, that's basically the same size of the Redstone ballistic missile, Wernher von Braun's first American rocket. And thanks to the fact that today's rockets are more efficient and solid propellant is so much more dense than liquid propellants, it has a lot more oomph in the same size package. In 1961, Alan Shepard rode a Redstone-sized rocket into space to become America's first astronaut. Today, that same-sized GEM 63 is now the "small" rocket that is bolted to the side of the much larger Atlas V. And while the Redstone required a government-industry team led by one of history's greatest rocket scientists and backed by a nation's defense budget, today, ULA doesn't bat an eye when NGIS designs and manufactures the same sized rocket in-house at their own expense. American rocketry has come a long way since the early days of Mercury.

The GEM 63 motor case being lowered into the casting pit before the propellant is poured in. The motor has to be moved in a diagonal position because it's too tall for the building! (credit: Northrop Grumman)

 Beyond the raw performance of the GEM 63 motors, there were still challenges to overcome. Both the GEM 63 and 63XL were longer motors than anything Orbital ATK had ever made before, or even envisioned making. The existing casting pits, wh ere the propellant is poured into the empty cases, had to be dug an additional 5.5 meters (18 feet) deeper so the motors would fit.
 And while you can dig a hole deeper, it's hard to lift up an existing building. The cast building was never built to handle such long motors, so the overhead crane can't carry the motor vertically without scraping it along the ground. Clearly that's a bad idea when it comes to space hardware, so it has to be moved through building diagonally and carefully lowered into the pit in a life-sized version of the game Operation.
 NGIS has decades of experience building very high-performance composite cases and these are no different, being designed to operate at a pressure of 1,450 psi. Because rocket engineers are a conservative lot, they actually build the case thicker to hold 40 percent more pressure, some 2,030 psi. And just to be paranoid, before going out the door, each case is filled with water and pressurized to 25 percent above the design pressure (1,813 psi) and checked for leaks. The high internal pressure allows the motor to be fitted with an efficient 14-to-1 expansion ratio nozzle made of carbon phenolic. By comparison, the Space Shuttle's SRBs operated at just 900 psi and so could only be fitted with a 7.7-to-1 expansion ratio nozzle.

GEM 60 (above) and GEM 63 (below). Previous GEM motors located the rocket attach points at the forward and aft skirt (circled). GEM 63 motors wind the attach points into the composite itself. (credits: NGIS)

 The GEM 63 also required NGIS to learn how to attach SRBs in new ways. Propellant tanks, whether they're for solid or liquid propellant, are usually connected to each other at the ends, wh ere they can be easily reinforced. This doesn't particularly impact tanks stacked on top of each other, but does impact rockets when they are attached side-by-side. Unless the liquid propellant tank and SRBs are exactly the same size, one of them has to be built a length that isn't optimal for overall performance. By developing the ability to put the attachment points mid-body on the composite structure, rocket designers like ULA can optimize their own propellant tanks and then simply tell NGIS wh ere to locate their attach points with no impact to the rest of the vehicle.
 The GEM 63 has the requirement to match the AJ60 in terms of fit, form, and function and perfectly replace the existing motor in an already highly optimized system without messing anything up. This is because rocket aerodynamicists are sticklers for telling their chief engineers that they are allowed to modify anything they want inside the rocket, but they can't change a thing with the rocket's outer mold line, speed, or weight distribution or else all of their carefully calculated models instantly become worthless. These handcuffs make it hard to introduce something like a new SRB, but in exchange, the aerodynamicists promise to keep the rockets from falling into the ocean. That last part tends to keep the peace.

NGIS built a temporary freezer around the GEM 63 test stand. It took a full week to lower the motor's 100,000 pounds down to 1°C (34°F). (credit: NGIS)

 In order to be a true drop in replacement, the GEM 63 has to match its performance precisely to the AJ-60A. That means the GEM 63's nozzle is canted (tilted) to the same 3 degrees and it has to operate over the same 4–32°C (40–90°F) range of outside temperatures on launch day. Operating at the very edge of that temperature range was the reason for September's test. Cold temperatures are always more difficult for solid rocket motors than hot temperatures. Not only does the rubbery propellant become stiffer and more brittle, but the now-cold propellant itself burns slower, like firewood that's been kept outside during the winter. This slower burning gives extra time for the flame's heat to penetrate through the insulating rubber and potentially weaken the rocket's structure underneath. And so, to prove the motor would work properly at and beyond its temperature requirement, NGIS built a massive freezer around the GEM 63 test stand and pumped in freezing air for a week to get the motor down to 1°C (34°F). On test day, after the freezer tent had been removed, the motor had warmed up to 3°C (37°F), but was still under the 40ТАF requirement.

Left to right: GEM 63 aft closure assembly before installation; GEM 63 nozzle before test with throat plug installed; GEM 63 nozzle after firing with water deluge arm - visible tree rings are the plydrops of carbon cloth characteristic of eroding nozzle designs; not shown - jagged throat erosion post firing that is characteristic of eroding throat designs (credits: Northrop Grumman)

 Right on schedule, the motor roared to life as planned. As expected, the normal 94-second burn time was dragged out to an agonizingly long 110 seconds. As the motor's flames shrank and died down, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and congratulations were offered to the triumphant team. The water quench arm swung into position behind the motor and drenched the inside of the spent case with water to prevent further smoldering or charring, effectively freezing the motor and its insulation in time at the point of burn out, ready to be dissected and analyzed to see how it performed. Immediately after the test, the Quick Look data even showed the motor had slightly overperformed the initial predictions. If you have to be wrong, you always want to be wrong by having too much performance.
 NGIS had just pulled off a minor miracle: they went from contract signing to a full-up firing of a production-representative motor in just three years. That's a good thing, since the first deliverable motors are due by this June. ULA already has big plans for these motors. The first ones will fly on STP-3 for the Air Force, which has already slipped fr om the summer to October at the earliest. The Air Force accepts more risk on the Space Test Program (STP) to try out new satellite and rocket technologies. As an example, Falcon Heavy's first DoD flight is also for STP. This first contract covers 60 total motors with an even 30/30 split between GEM 63s and the larger 63XLs, which ULA has the option to shift if need be. Beyond this first flight, ULA also intends to use the GEM 63 to launch NASA astronauts aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. These GEM 63 requires no modification to launch astronauts, and ULA will be using uncrewed launches to build up sufficient reliability statistics to prove to themselves and NASA that the new boosters don't negatively impact crew safety.
 The biggest challenge of this effort has been to reduce cost, and the technical decisions reflect this. In aerospace, cost doesn't scale with size but rather with complexity, and decisions have been taken at every turn to reduce complexity and simplify the design. Instead of a high-priced and complex 3D carbon-carbon throat or a thrust vector control (TVC) system, the GEM 63 features a simple and low-cost carbon phenolic that does not move. This shows a preference for low cost and simplicity over strict performance.

Vulcan when it was originally announced (left) and the design as it exists today (right). (Credit: ULA)

 The Vulcan rocket that will ultimately use the GEM 63XLs has shown a similar preference for design simplicity. ULA got the 20 percent better thrust they were looking for, and by using larger GEM 63XL boosters it allowed ULA to resize their first stage and second stage propellant tanks. As long as you have the thrust to get the whole thing off the launch pad (thank you, GEM 63XL), the decision to increase the size of your gas tank has effectively zero technical risk. Rather than having to add new technology to achieve greater lift capability, they simply fill up the larger tanks. This is a wonderful trade, and one that any rocket scientist would make any day of the week. In addition, the future upgrades can still be implemented down the road, and with the larger gas tanks, it means those upgrades will be even more effective when they are finally introduced. All of this serves to reduce the risk to the current program and increases the likelihood that Vulcan will launch on time.
 The US military isn't the only one counting on the next generation of American launch vehicles. With NASA planning to return to the Moon, there will be a need to send space station modules, cargo, and even landers to lunar orbit and the Moon's surface itself. While the current crop of EELV-class vehicles has done wonders to build and maintain the International Space Station (ISS), to deliver similar payloads to the vicinity of the Moon larger rockets are needed. In addition to its own Space Launch System (SLS), NASA is already considering the next generation of EELV-class rockets including SpaceX's Falcon family, Blue Origin's New Glenn, ULA's Vulcan, and NGIS' OmegA. Beyond just the rockets to get there, each company is developing ideas for the space stations and Lunar landers for when they get there.
 Part 2 will look at another case in the history of launch vehicle development of switching boosters, and the importance of process improvement.
[свернуть]

Jeffrey L. Smith, P.E. is a propulsion engineer. He is excited that this generation of space development will be even better than the triumphs of the Space Race. The ideas expressed here (however misguided) are his own. He can be reached at JLSmith322@gmail.com.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

tnt22

ЦитироватьNorthrop Grumman‏Подлинная учетная запись @northropgrumman 1 апр.

It's test week! This Thursday, April 4 we will perform the second static test fire of our #GEM63 motor at our Promontory, Utah facility. These motors support @ulalaunch's #AtlasV rocket, giving the rocket an extra boost to deliver payloads to orbit. More: http://bit.ly/2Qc5hr6 


http://bit.ly/2Qc5hr6 --> http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/RocketTest/Pages/default.aspx
ЦитироватьSecond Ground Test of GEM 63 Rocket Motor

Northrop Grumman will conduct its second qualification test of its 63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) in Promontory, Utah. The company developed this new side-mounted rocket motor to add power to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle. The maximum thrust of the GEM 63 is 373,000 pounds or roughly the equivalent of nine F-35 fighter jets.

What: Ground test firing of GEM 63 rocket motor

When: Thursday, April 4, 1:00 p.m. MDT

Where: Northrop Grumman facility in Promontory, Utah
19:00 UTC 04.04.2019

tnt22

ЦитироватьNG Graphite Epoxy Motor 63 test (GEM 63 QM-2)

SciNews

Опубликовано: 4 апр. 2019 г.

Northrop Grumman Corporation conducted the second qualification test (QM-2) of its 63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) in Promontory, Utah, on 4 April 2019. The test was designed to validate the ballistic performance of the motor, such as pressure and thrust. The GEM 63 motor will be used as a direct replacement of the previous strap-on boosters on ULA's Atlas V rocket beginning in July 2019 with the Space Test Program (STP)-3 mission that will use five boosters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GzsSV6BiJshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GzsSV6BiJs (2:54)

tnt22

https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-successfully-completes-second-ground-test-of-new-rocket-motor-for-united-launch-alliance-atlas-v
ЦитироватьNorthrop Grumman Successfully Completes Second Ground Test of New Rocket Motor for United Launch Alliance Atlas V

Northrop Grumman Successfully Completes Second Ground Test of New Rocket Motor for United Launch Alliance Atlas V

April 04, 2019

Dulles, Va. – April 4, 2019 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) conducted its second ground test of a 63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) today in Promontory, Utah. The company developed this new side-mounted rocket motor to add power to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle.


Northrop Grumman conducted the second ground test of its newly-developed GEM 63 rocket motor April 4, 2019, in Promontory, Utah. The GEM 63 will fly on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V launch vehicle starting next year.
The maximum thrust of the GEM 63 is 373,000 pounds or roughly the equivalent of five B-2 Spirit bombers. Up to five GEM 63 motors can support a single Atlas V launch.

"The Northrop Grumman team developed the GEM 63 motor in just three years, an impressive accomplishment for such a complex drop-in solution to an existing launch vehicle," said Charlie Precourt, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman.

The GEM 63 team developed the motor under a cooperative development program with ULA. Northrop Grumman has been supplying solid propulsion motors for a variety of launch vehicles since 1964 and is ULA's largest legacy supplier of solid propulsion. Northrop Grumman's expertise in solid rocket boosters combined with ULA's history of reliability results in a strong partnership that guarantees assured access to space for national security.

"This test is an important step in the development of these new boosters for the Atlas V launch vehicle and we thank Northrop Grumman for the continued partnership and outstanding teamwork," said Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "By flying key hardware first on our Atlas V rocket prior to flying it on our Vulcan Centaur rocket, it provides increased confidence for the first flight of our new rocket in 2021."

The first ground test, conducted in September 2018, qualified the motor for use as a strap-on booster for the Atlas V. Today's test satisfies additional requirements for certification by the U.S. Air Force. The first launch using GEM 63 motors will take place in 2020.

In addition to the GEM 63 motor, Northrop Grumman is also developing a GEM 63XL motor for ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket. Both versions of the GEM 63 family use common materials and processes to maintain a high-reliability, low-cost product. The first GEM 63XL case, which is the longest non-segmented, monolithic case ever manufactured, has already been wound at a new facility in Clearfield, Utah, and is currently in the structural qualification process.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.

tnt22


tnt22

ЦитироватьEmre Kelly‏Подлинная учетная запись @EmreKelly 1 ч. назад

ULA CEO @ToryBruno: Except for propellant tanks, all components of Vulcan Centaur will have already flown by 2021 launch. Software will be 80% common with existing rockets.




1 ч. назад

Some charts and graphs for you:


zandr

https://ria.ru/20190409/1552498569.html
ЦитироватьГлава американского консорциума ULA отметил высокое качество РД-180
КОЛОРАДО СПРИНГС, 8 апр – РИА Новости. Качество российских ракетных двигателей РД-180 находится на высоком уровне и поставки идут с опережением потребности в них, сообщил во вторник РИА Новости глава американского консорциума United Launch Alliance (ULA) Тори Бруно.
"Они (российский поставщик "Энергомаш" - ред.) очень хорошо работают и очень отзывчивы. Качество поддерживается на высоком уровне, и у нас не было никаких вопросов с поставками от них. Они поставляют раньше наших потребностей и еще должны мне несколько (двигателей – ред.)", - сказал он на полях 35-го симпозиума по космосу в Колорадо Спрингс.
По словам Бруно, это происходит из-за того, что "Энергомаш" поставляет двигатели по мере их готовности. Он добавил, что сейчас запас российских двигателей на складах ULA покрывает их потребности примерно на два года вперед.
При этом он затруднился ответить на вопрос, будет ли консорциум закупать РД-180 после 2022 года, когда конгресс распорядился прекратить эти закупки.
"Я еще не знаю... Нам можно (закупать – ред.) некоторое количество для обеспечения национальной безопасности. Это было 18 штук. В то же время нам дан срок, что любые миссии должны быть заказаны властями до 2022 года, а они могут полететь когда угодно... И нет ограничений на использование РД-180 для коммерческих задач или гражданских задач в космосе", - сказал Бруно.
"ранее"
ULA - совместное предприятие Boeing и Lockheed Martin, использующее РД-180 для запуска американских спутников.
В начале 1996 года двигатель РД-180 производства "Энергомаша" был выбран для американской ракеты-носителя Atlas. В ноябре 1996 года было проведено первое огневое испытание двигателя-прототипа, а в апреле 1997 года - огневое испытание штатного двигателя. В 1997–1998 годах была успешно проведена серия огневых испытаний двигателя в составе первой ступени ракеты-носителя в США.
Весной 1999 года была завершена сертификация РД-180 для использования в составе ракеты-носителя Atlas-3, первый ее запуск состоялся в мае 2000 года. Летом 2001 года была завершена сертификация РД-180 для использования в составе ракеты-носителя Atlas-5, первый полет состоялся в августе 2002 года.
[свернуть]

tnt22

ЦитироватьDeveloping Vulcan Centaur

United Launch Alliance

Опубликовано: 9 апр. 2019 г.

An upd ate on the development of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is se t to launch in 2021. Recorded April 8, 2019, at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W31tc8_ZKGUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W31tc8_ZKGU (41:28)

tnt22


tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/05/13/nasa-ula-find-launch-opportunity-for-inflatable-heat-shield-demonstrator/
ЦитироватьNASA, ULA find launch opportunity for inflatable heat shield demonstrator
May 13, 2019Stephen Clark


Artist's illustration of the the Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, spacecraft. Credit: NASA

A flight demonstration of an inflatable heat shield that could be used to retrieve reusable engines from United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket, and for the delivery of heavier cargo to the surface of Mars, is planned for launch in late 2021 or early 2022 as a piggyback payload on an Atlas 5 rocket with a NOAA weather satellite.

The inflatable re-entry decelerator will launch as a joint project between NASA and ULA, which foresee different uses for the technology.

ULA aims to recover engines from the company's new Vulcan rocket, set to debut in 2021, using an inflatable heat shield and a parafoil. A helicopter equipped with a boom will snag the parafoil in a mid-air recovery, preventing contamination from salt water if the engines splashed down in the ocean.

The inflatable heat shield is much lighter than a rigid heat shield, such as thermal protection systems used on crew capsules, and take up less volume inside a rocket's payload fairing. The technology will allow future NASA missions to deliver more massive rovers, landers, and eventually human-rated habitats to the Martian surface.

The heaviest spacecraft ever landed on Mars using current technology was the Curiosity rover, which weighed less than a ton at touchdown in 2012.

Inflatable heat shield technology could also protect materials manufactured in space during the return trip to Earth.

"It has the potential for returning substantial mass back to Earth," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA's space technology mission directorate, during an April 30 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council's technology, innovation and engineering committee.

The Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator will test a nearly 20-foot-diameter (6-meter) heat shield, the largest blunt body atmospheric entry vehicle ever flown in space.

NASA and ULA have identified room for the re-entry testbed, known by the acronym LOFTID, as a secondary payload on an Atlas 5 launch in late 2021 or early 2022 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System-2, or JPSS 2, weather observatory heading for polar orbit, according to Reuter.

Officials said NOAA recently agreed to launch the LOFTID experiment with the JPSS 2 satellite, after a search for excess capacity on Atlas 5 missions launching from Vandenberg over the next few years.

Therese Griebel, deputy associate administrator for programs in NASA's technology division, said a recent review with JPSS 2 program managers concluded the addition of the LOFTID experiment on the launch would add no significant risk to the mission.

"It looks like we've gotten everybody on-board (with launching LOFTID with JPSS)," Reuter said.
Спойлер

ULA's concept for reusing booster engines from the company's Vulcan rocket involves retrieving the engines in mid-air with a helicopter. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The JPSS 2 satellite has a targeted launch readiness date in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, or late in the calendar year 2021, according to John Leslie, a NOAA spokesperson.

NASA, which provides launch and spacecraft development support to NOAA's weather satellites, sel ected ULA's Atlas 5 rocket in 2017 to carry the JPSS 2 spacecraft into orbit. The lightest version of the Atlas 5 rocket, a variant known as the Atlas 5-401 without any solid rocket boosters, will launch the JPSS 2 satellite.

But JPSS 2 fills less than half of the Atlas 5-401's capacity to the weather satellite's 512-mile-high (824-kilometer) orbit, leaving ample room for secondary payloads.

Last year, NOAA released a request for information soliciting ideas for small commercial Earth observation satellites that could ride piggyback on the JPSS 2 launch. With agreement from NASA, NOAA and ULA, part of the excess capacity on the Atlas 5 rocket will be filled with the LOFTID experiment.

The LOFTID re-entry vehicle will weigh around 2,700 pounds (1,224 kilograms).

Under the terms of a no-funds-exchanged Space Act Agreement, NASA will provide the re-entry vehicle and its inflatable aeroshell. ULA will supply the high-pressure tanks to inflate the heat shield in space and the Atlas 5 launch services at no cost to NASA.

NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia heads the agency's work on the LOFTID experiment.

NASA awarded ULA a separate $1.9 million contract last year to demonstrate mid-air retrieval of the LOFTID entry vehicle, using an ocean-going ship capable of transporting a helicopter to the recovery zone.

The LOFTID experiment will test a flexible thermal protection system using braided synthetic fibers that are 15 times stronger than steel, according to a NASA fact sheet. Unlike rigid heat shields, the material allows the structure to be folded and packed in a tighter volume that can fit inside the payload envelope of existing rockets.

During the LOFTID demonstration, the heat shield will inflate after the Atlas 5 rocket releases the JPSS 2 spacecraft in orbit. After inflation, the Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage will execute a deorbit burn on a trajectory heading back into the atmosphere, then deploy the LOFTID vehicle for re-entry.


Artist's concept of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket. Credit: ULA

ULA's interest in inflatable heat shield technology stems from the company's plan to recover first stage engines from the next-generation Vulcan rocket for refurbishment and reuse.

The Vulcan rocket is scheduled for its inaugural launch from Cape Canaveral in 2021. Two BE-4 main engines, built by Blue Origin, will power the Vulcan's first stage.

Unlike SpaceX, which lands entire Falcon 9 first stage boosters to be reused, ULA plans to jettison the BE-4 engine pod fr om the base of the Vulcan first stage. The engines will be shielded by an inflatable decelerator, similar to the system to be demonstrated by the LOFTID experiment, then unfurl a steerable parafoil for a helicopter to capture in mid-air.

The BE-4 engines, which burn methane and liquid oxygen, are designed to be reusable. Blue Origin's own New Glenn rocket, also set for a debut in 2021, will also use BE-4 engines on its first stage. Like SpaceX, Blue Origin intends to land the New Glenn's first stage intact for refurbishment and reuse.

ULA will discard the BE-4 engines on the initial flights of the Vulcan rocket. The company plans to begin retrieving the engines around 2024.
[свернуть]

tnt22

ЦитироватьNASA Tests Cutting-Edge Heat Shield Technology

NASA Langley Research Center

Опубликовано: 6 июн. 2019 г.

Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, is the next flight mission of the HIAD (inflatable heat shields) technology. HIAD is on the cutting-edge cusp of heat shields and NASA Langley researchers recently tested the LOFTID HIAD by doing a blow down test to measure gas intake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14TCaQyQYtQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14TCaQyQYtQ (1:50)

tnt22

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/nasa-inflatable-heat-shield-technology-performs-under-pressure
ЦитироватьJune 13, 2019

NASA Inflatable Heat Shield Technology Performs Under Pressure

Testing is well underway as NASA's LOFTID – short for Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator – prepares to catch a ride on an Atlas V rocket launch in 2022.

LOFTID is a cross-cutting technology designed to help deliver heavy cargos to any planet with an atmosphere.

In a few years, NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch the six-meter inflatable heat shield from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to low-Earth orbit as a secondary payload along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Joint Polar Satellite System-2 weather observatory heading for polar orbit.



LOFTID pack and deployment testing started with a load test to verify that the heat shield will perform as expected in flight under real-life conditions.
Credits: NASA

The technology, designed to enable more robust missions to destinations like Mars, Venus, and Titan could also potentially be used to return payloads to Earth and recover reusable engines from ULA's next-generation Vulcan rocket.

Tests are ongoing as NASA prepares the inflatable heat shield for launch. Pack and deployment testing with Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California, is underway. The pack and deployment testing started with a load test to verify that the heat shield will perform as expected in flight under real-life conditions. After that, LOFTID was tightly packed. It will soon undergo deployment testing followed by a second load test for another data point.
Спойлер
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=14TCaQyQYtQ
Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, is the next flight mission of the HIAD (inflatable heat shields) technology. HIAD is on the cutting-edge cusp of heat shields and NASA Langley researchers recently tested the LOFTID HIAD by doing a blow down test to measure gas intake.
Credits: NASA
[свернуть]
At NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia the team is performing a qualification tank blow down test to measure gas temperatures during venting of the nitrogen gas tanks that will be used during LOFTID's first flight.

The LOFTID project is a part of the Technology Demonstration Missions program funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. The project is managed by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Last Updated: June 13, 2019
Editor: Kristyn Damadeo

tnt22

Цитировать Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 25 мин. назад
1/2 USAF, ULA and Lockheed Martin officials just finished a press call previewing Thursday's Delta 4 launch, the final flight of a Delta 4-Medium. Five more Delta 4-Heavy missions still in ULA's backlog through late 2023.


23 мин. назад
2/2 After Thursday's Delta 4-Medium swan song, ULA plans two Delta 4-Heavy missions next year, both for the NRO. First up is NROL-44 from Cape Canaveral in June 2020, followed by NROL-82 from Vandenberg AFB in September 2020.


tnt22


azvoz

Цитироватьtnt22 написал:
 Air Force awards  @ulalaunch  $1.18 billion contract to complete five Delta 4 Heavy  @NatReconOfc   missions
Круто - до 236 лямов за пуск подешевели.
Но все равно непонятно - почему Фэлкон Хэви прокинули?
Нет блока довыведения на спецорбиты?

ronatu

#678
Цитироватьazvoz написал:
 
Цитироватьtnt22 написал:
 Air Force awards  @ulalaunch  $1.18 billion contract to complete five Delta 4 Heavy  @NatReconOfc   missions
Круто - до 236 лямов за пуск подешевели.
Но все равно непонятно - почему Фэлкон Хэви прокинули?
Нет блока довыведения на спецорбиты?


Delta IV M+ (5,2) (2014)          ~$225M    
Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) (2014)~$225M    
Delta IV Heavy (2015)               $389M     
Когда жизнь экзаменует - первыми сдают нервы.

azvoz

Цитироватьronatu написал:
 
Цитироватьazvoz написал:
 
Цитироватьtnt22  написал:
 Air Force awards  @ulalaunch  $1.18 billion contract to complete five Delta 4 Heavy  @NatReconOfc   missions
Круто - до 236 лямов за пуск подешевели.
Но все равно непонятно - почему Фэлкон Хэви прокинули?
Нет блока довыведения на спецорбиты?


Delta IV M+ (5,2) (2014)          ~$225M    
Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) (2014)~$225M    
Delta IV Heavy (2015)               $389M      
нормально так с 389 лямов до 236 подешевела Delta 4 Heavy