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

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Northrop Grumman‏Подлинная учетная запись @northropgrumman 1 ч. назад

We are at our test site in Promontory, Utah, as we prepare for the static test of our next generation #GEM63 booster tomorrow! We are partnering with @ulalaunch to qualify these motors for launches beginning next year.
#NorthropGrumman

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ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 20 мин. назад

Heads up! @northropgrumman is doing the 1st ground test of its new GEM 63 solid rocket motor. GEM 63 solids will give a boost to #AtlasV beginning with the STP-3 mission. Test @ 1pmMT; @SpaceflightIns will have the broadcast at 12:30pmMT

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Трансляция на ТыТрубе "SFI Live: GEM 63 Test Fire"

youtube.com/watch?v=oi9XDMuSHgM

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Northrop Grumman‏Подлинная учетная запись @northropgrumman 5 мин. назад

3 - 2 - 1 Fire! Our #GEM63 booster is firing for 110 seconds during its first ground test at our Promontory, Utah, test site. Stay tuned for photos!
#NorthropGrumman

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Трансляция SFT GEM 63 - отвратная. Просто немного скриншотов:

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SFI Live: GEM 63 Test Fire

SpaceFlight Insider - Official Page

Трансляция началась 1 час назад

Join SpaceFlight Insider's Jason Rhian and a series of special guests during the 45 minutes leading up to the test fire of a GEM 63 rocket motor.

(51:19)

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Northrop Grumman‏Подлинная учетная запись @northropgrumman 2 мин. назад

First photos coming in of our #GEM63 test! The motor fired for 110 seconds to test various objectives including insulation and ballistic performance. These motors will be used on @ulalaunch #AtlasV vehicles beginning next year.
#NorthropGrumman

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Northrop Grumman to Test First GEM 63 Motor

Northrop Grumman

Опубликовано: 18 сент. 2018 г.

On Thursday, September 20, Northrop Grumman will conduct its first ground test of a 63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) in Promontory, Utah. Utilizing advanced technologies, the company developed this new rocket motor for use on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle.

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https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-successfully-completes-first-qualification-test-of-new-rocket-motor-for-united-launch-alliance-atlas-v

Northrop Grumman Successfully Completes First Qualification Test of New Rocket Motor for United Launch Alliance Atlas V

Graphite epoxy motors will help launch rocket beginning in 2019

September 20, 2018

Dulles, Va. – Sept. 20, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) conducted its first ground test of a 63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) today in Promontory, Utah. Utilizing advanced technologies, the company developed this new rocket motor for use on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle.

On Sept. 20, 2018, in Promontory, Utah, Northrop Grumman conducted the first ground test of its newly-developed GEM 63 rocket motor that will fly on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V launch vehicle.

Northrop Grumman began developing the motor just three years ago, reaching this static test milestone in rapid time for such a complex drop-in solution to an existing launch vehicle. The team developed the innovative design that tailors motor performance to meet ULA design objectives under a cooperative development program.

"Northrop Grumman has been supplying solid propulsion motors for a variety of launch vehicles since 1964," said Scott Lehr, president, flight systems, Northrop Grumman. "As ULA's largest legacy supplier of solid propulsion, we're pleased that our most recent product has reached this important milestone. The successful completion of this test enables full production to begin."

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. Additional missions will follow, each of which may include up to five solid rocket motors.

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The relationship with ULA began in 1964 when Thiokol (a Northrop Grumman predecessor company), in Huntsville, Alabama, provided three CASTOR® I strap-on rocket motors for the Delta D rocket. Several years later, CASTOR IIs flew on the Delta E rocket, and subsequently CASTOR IVs helped launch higher-performing Delta rockets. Also, CASTOR IVAs flew on the Atlas IIAS vehicle from 1993 to 2004, when 120 solid rocket boosters flew on 30 successful Atlas IIAS launches. Prior to the current Delta IV heavy launch vehicle, Northrop Grumman provided the large three-segmented Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade (SRMU) strap-on booster for the Titan IVB rocket. Thirty four SRMUs successfully flew on Titan IV from 1997 to 2005.

Northrop Grumman, then Hercules, began developing the GEM family of strap-on motors in the late 1980s with the GEM 40, 1,003 of which have subsequently flown on 132 successful Delta II launches. The company also developed the GEM 46, 54 of which flew on six successful Delta II-Heavy launches. Northrop Grumman later developed the GEM 60, and to date 62 of these motors have flown on 25 successful Delta IV launches. The company's family of GEM 63 rocket motors builds on this extensive flight history.

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Northrop Grumman is also developing a GEM 63XL motor using internal funding for use on ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket, which will fly with up to six GEM 63XLs per flight. 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.

Both versions of the GEM 63 family use common materials and processes to maintain a high-reliability, low-cost product. The next GEM 63 motor test, scheduled for November, will satisfy additional requirements for certification by the U.S. Air Force.

Спойлер

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.

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GEM 63 Rocket Motor QM-1 Static Test

Northrop Grumman

Опубликовано: 20 сент. 2018 г.

Our GEM 63 rocket motor fired for approximately 105 seconds September 20 as we completed its first ground test at our Promontory, Utah, test site. The booster, developed for use on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, will be used as a direct replacement of the previous strap-on boosters beginning in July 2019.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 19 мин. назад

ARTICLE:
NGIS fires up GEM-63 motor destined for future ULA launches -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/09/ngis-gem-63-motor-future-ula-launches/ ...

- By Justin Davenport (@Bubbinski) who attended the firing for NSF and reviewed the test in his article.

Vulcan render by Nathan Koga (@kogavfx) for NSF.

Спойлер

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/5612323

27 СЕН, 15:27

WSJ: Blue Origin получила контракт на поставку двигателей для новых ракет Vulcan

По данным газеты, носитель к 2022-2023 годам заменит находящиеся сейчас в эксплуатации ракеты Atlas V, на которых устанавливаются российские РД-180

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 27 сентября. /ТАСС/. Американская компания Blue Origin получила контракт на поставку новых ракетных двигателей BE-4 для перспективных ракет-носителей Vulcan производства компании United Launch Alliance (ULA). Об этом сообщила в четверг со ссылкой на собственные источники газета The Wall Street Journal.

По ее данным, ULA позднее в четверг официально объявит о решении предоставить Blue Origin Джеффа Безоса контракт на поставку новых ракетных двигателей. Первый запуск ракеты Vulcan намечен на 2020 год. Планируется, что этот носитель к 2022-2023 годам заменит находящиеся сейчас в эксплуатации ракеты Atlas V, на которых устанавливаются РД-180.
...
Blue Origin - одна из нескольких частных компаний, намеревающихся осуществлять регулярные туристические полеты в космос. Она базируется в городе Кент (штат Вашингтон) и принадлежит предпринимателю-миллиардеру Джеффу Безосу. Совместно с консорциумом ULA, созданным корпорациями Boeing и Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin разрабатывает новый двигатель, который должен прийти на смену российскому РД-180.

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https://www.ulalaunch.com/about/news-detail/2018/09/27/united-launch-alliance-building-rocket-of-the-future-with-industry-leading-strategic-partnerships

United Launch Alliance Building Rocket of the Future with Industry-Leading Strategic Partnerships

ULA Selects Blue Origin Advanced Booster Engine for Vulcan Centaur Rocket System

Centennial, Colo., Sept. 27, 2018  – United Launch Alliance's (ULA) next-generation rocket - the Vulcan Centaur - is making strong progress in development and is on track for its initial flight in mid-2020. The Vulcan Centaur rocket design leverages the proven success of the Delta IV and Atlas V launch vehicles while introducing advanced technologies and innovative features. 

"Vulcan Centaur will revolutionize spaceflight and provide affordable, reliable access to space for our current and future customers," said Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "We are well on our way to the introduction of Vulcan Centaur – the future of U.S. rocket manufacturing. With state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing techniques, this rocket is designed specifically for low recurring cost."

The new rocket design is nearing completion, and the booster preliminary design and critical design reviews have been completed. Vulcan Centaur will have a maximum liftoff thrust of 3.8 million pounds and carry 56,000 pounds to low Earth orbit, 33,000 pounds to a geo-transfer orbit and 16,000 pounds to geostationary orbit with greater capability than any currently available single-core launch vehicle.

"Our new rocket will be superior in reliability, cost and capability – one system for all missions," said Bruno. "We have been working closely with the U.S. Air Force, and our certification plan is in place."

Following completion of a competitive procurement, ULA has selected Blue Origin's BE-4 engine for Vulcan Centaur's booster stage. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled booster will be powered by a pair of BE-4 engines, each producing 550,000 pounds of sea level thrust. As previously announced, ULA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL10 engine for the Centaur upper stage, Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters, L‑3 Avionics Systems avionics, and RUAG's payload fairings and composite structures for the new Vulcan Centaur rocket system.

Спойлер

"We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Blue Origin and look forward to a successful first flight of our next-generation launch vehicle," said Bruno.

"We are very glad to have our BE-4 engine selected by United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance is the premier launch service provider for national security missions, and we're thrilled to be part of their team and that mission," said Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith. "We can't thank Tory Bruno and the entire United Launch Alliance team enough for entrusting our engine to powering the Vulcan rocket's first stage."

Vulcan Centaur will bolster U.S. manufacturing by adding to the more than 22,000 direct and indirect American jobs in 46 states supported by ULA programs.

"ULA has chosen the best systems available to create the Vulcan Centaur," said Bruno. "These engines and components will ensure ULA continues to lead the way in space exploration, maintain our record of success and remain America's launch vehicle for our nation's most vital missions."

Vulcan Centaur is ULA's next-generation, American rocket system. As a result of these agreements, the Vulcan Centaur will surpass current rocket capabilities and launch services at significantly lower costs, while still meeting the requirements of ULA's cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Air Force to certify the Vulcan Centaur for national security space missions.

"Strong partners are critical to the cutting-edge innovation that is leading us into the next generation in space and ensuring mission success," said Bruno. "Partnerships with Blue Origin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Avionics Systems and RUAG will allow the Vulcan Centaur to transform the future of space launch for the government and commercial markets, making launch more affordable, accessible and commercially available."

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered 130 satellites to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.

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ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 8 мин. назад

Our partnerships w/ @BlueOrigin as well as @AerojetRDyne @NorthropGrumman L-3 Avionics & @RUAGSpace will allow this next-gen American rocket to affordably transform the future of space launch! #VulcanCentaur

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ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 8 мин. назад

Design is nearing completion. Booster PDR and CDRs are complete! We've worked closely w/ @usairforce since the beginning of development, and our certification plan is in place. #VulcanCentaur

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/09/28/bezos-rocket-engine-selected-for-new-vulcan-rocket/

Bezos rocket engine sel ected for new Vulcan rocket
September 28, 2018 | William Harwood


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

Ending months of speculation, Blue Origin, a company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a milestone contract to provide first-stage rocket engines for a powerful new booster being designed by United Launch Alliance to replace its current fleet of Atlas and Delta launchers, the companies announced Thursday.

Powered by liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, Blue Origin's BE-4 engine was sel ected over Aerojet Rocketdyne's more traditional kerosene-burning AR1 for use in ULA's new Vulcan rocket, expected to make its first flight in the mid-2020 timeframe.

"Big win for @BlueOrigin today!" Bezos tweeted. "And a big thank you to @ulalaunch for choosing our BE-4 engine. Excited to be a part of Vulcan's mission to space."

The BE-4 engine will eventually end ULA's reliance on Russian-built RD-180 first-stage engines currently powering the first stage of the company's workhorse Atlas 5. RD-180s burn kerosene and oxygen and develop 860,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.

Two BE-4 engines, generating 550,000 pounds of thrust each, will power the Vulcan's first stage, along with strap-on solid-fuel boosters provided by Northrup Grumman as required by payload weight and trajectory. Maximum liftoff thrust will be 3.8 million pounds and the rocket will be partially reusable.

Aerojet Rocketdyne hydrogen-fueled RL10 engines will power the Vulcan's second stage when the initial version begins operations. A more powerful upper stage, the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage, or ACES, will be phased in later.

Спойлер

The Vulcan rocket will feature two BE-4 first stage engines, RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage, and solid rocket boosters. Credit: ULA

ULA plans to continue launching Atlas 5s well into the early 2020s while the Vulcan transition proceeds. The Atlas 5 will be used as planned to launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew capsule to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station starting next year.

"We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Blue Origin and look forward to a successful first flight of our next-generation launch vehicle," ULA CEO Tory Bruno said in a statement.

Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith added: "United Launch Alliance is the premier launch service provider for national security missions, and we're thrilled to be part of their team and that mission. We can't thank Tory Bruno and the entire United Launch Alliance team enough for entrusting our engine to powering the Vulcan rocket's first stage."

United Launch Alliance is a partnership between Boeing, original builder of the Delta family of rockets, and Lockheed Martin, developer of the Atlas 5, that was formed primarily to provide assured access to space for high-priority national security payloads

Blue Origin also plans to use the BE-4 in the first stage of its New Glenn rocket, which will compete with both SpaceX and ULA launchers when it debuts in the early to mid 2020s. The New Glenn first stage is designed to land vertically for refurbishment and reuse.

A two-stage version of the New Glenn booster will stand some 27 stories tall and will generate 3.85 million pounds of thrust at liftoff using seven BE-4 engines. The second stage will be powered by two BE-3 engines.

The BE-3 already is in use with Blue Origin's sub-orbital New Shepard rocket, designed to carry tourists, researchers and small payloads to the edge of space and back from a launch site in Texas.

The company has built a huge manufacturing facility near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to assemble New Glenn rockets, which will be launched fr om nearby Cape Canaveral. Bezos has said he is spending roughly $1 billion a year on his space ventures.

Bezos and Bruno announced an initial agreement to develop BE-4 engines for ULA rockets in September 2014.

"I think it's pretty clear it's time for a 21st century booster engine," Bezos said at the time. "The great engines of the past were truly remarkable machines in their own right ... but we have tools and capabilities, software simulations, computational horsepower that the builders of those great engines could have only dreamed about.

"We can build an engine today that is a 21st century engine that has great reliability, low cost of operations and high performance," he said. "And we're super excited about that, and we couldn't be more excited to have a partner like ULA."

But Aerojet Rocketdyne threw its hat into the ring with plans to develop the AR1, generating 500,000 pounds of thrust, and it soon became clear Blue Origin no longer had a lock on the engine selection. That fueled intense speculation across the space industry about how the competition might play out.

In any case, the selection of Blue Origin's BE-4 means ULA will be relying on an eventual competitor to provide the engines needed for its next-generation rocket. Contract details were not revealed, but it presumably includes delivery guarantees that meet ULA's approval.

"It is a great day for the Blue Origin team!" the company tweeted late Thursday. "We are honored @ulalaunch has selected Blue's LOX/LNG BE-4 engine to power the Vulcan rocket's first stage."

ULA's decision to replace its Delta and Atlas rockets with a single system came in the wake of widely publicized complaints fr om SpaceX founder Elon Musk that criticized the use of the Russian-built RD-180 to launch U.S. national security payloads and what he viewed as a ULA military launch monopoly.

Musk also criticized the high cost of the heavy-lift Delta 4, which uses Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 first stage engines and is currently the most powerful fully operational rocket in the U.S. inventory. It also is the most expensive and is used exclusively for national security and NASA payloads.

Musk eventually won the right to bid on high-value military payloads and since then, competition between SpaceX and ULA has been fierce, with ULA trimming costs and arguing its unblemished launch record, presumably lower insurance rates and schedule reliability make up for a higher price tag for the Atlas 5 compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9.

But Falcon 9s cost tens of millions less than the Atlas 5, an obvious selling point in the commercial launch industry. The eventual cost of the Vulcan is not yet known.

"From low Earth orbit to Pluto, the single-core Vulcan Centaur does it all," ULA says on its website. "This simple design is more cost-efficient for all customers, whether defense and national security, NASA science and human spaceflight, or commercial."

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/5615009

28 СЕН, 10:17
Компания Джеффа Безоса будет поставлять двигатели для новых ракет Vulcan

Официально не сообщается, когда будет осуществлен первый запуск ракеты Vulcan, однако, по данным The Wall Street Journal, он намечен на 2020 год

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 28 сентября. Компания Джеффа Безоса Blue Origin получила контракт на поставку новых ракетных двигателей BE-4 для перспективных ракет-носителей Vulcan производства компании United Launch Alliance (ULA).

"ULA выбрала двигатели BE-4 производства Blue Origin для разгонного блока нашей ракеты следующего поколения VulcanCentaur, разработка дизайна которой приближается к концу. Новая американская ракета пополнит наше наследие и будет способствовать внедрению более совершенных технологий и инноваций", - отметила ULA в Twitter.

United Launch Alliance не уточнила сроков дебютного полета нового носителя. По данным газеты The Wall Street Journal, первый запуск ракеты Vulcan намечен на 2020 год. Планируется, что этот носитель к 2022-2023 годам заменит находящиеся сейчас в эксплуатации ракеты Atlas V, на которых устанавливаются РД-180.
...

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 14:16 - 10 окт. 2018 г.

DOD contract announcement: ULA, Orbital (now Northrop Grumman) and Blue Origin win launch services agreements from the Air Force. Nothing for SpaceX.
https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1658771/


14:18 - 10 окт. 2018 г.

ULA: $967M for development of Vulcan Centaur
Northrop: $791.6M for development of OmegA
Blue Origin: $500M for development of New Glenn

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Mary Lynne Dittmar, Ph.D.‏ @DittmarML 5 ч. назад

John Elbon of ⁦@ulalaunch⁩ discussing Vulcan development...great flexibility in this range of configurations.
#VonBraun18 #VonBraunSymposium

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Eric Berger‏Подлинная учетная запись @SciGuySpace 7:16 - 28 нояб. 2018 г

Louradour, of ULA, says the company's initial Vulcan-Centaur rocket will launch in 2021, and the Vulcan-Centaur Heavy (with an upgraded Centaur second stage) will launch in 2023.


Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 7:17 - 28 нояб. 2018 г

Tiphaine Louradour, ULA: Vulcan will be much more simplified in terms of configurations that existing ULA vehicles. (But not down to the 1 version of New Glenn; will still have two different payload fairings and varying number of solid strap-on boosters.) #SpaceCom2018