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Special Report Commercial Space Transportation QUARTERLY LAUNCH REPORT Special Report: The U.S. Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Programs 1st Quarter 1997 United States Department of Transportation • Federal Aviation Administration Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation 800 Independence Ave. SW Room 331 Washington, D.C. 20591 Special Report SR-1 The US Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Programs The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle fueled launch vehicle and Boeing’s (EELV) Program is a Department of proposal for a launch vehicle with a Defense technology-development reusable engine pod were passed over program managed by the Air Force. The for the Lockheed Martin and McDonnell program is intended to produce an Douglas designs. It is notable that the improved launch vehicle family for more unusual technological solutions government use. The EELV will replace proposed by Boeing and Alliant the currently used fleet of Atlas, Delta, Techsystems were turned down in favor and Titan launch vehicles and is expected of the fine-tuning approach of Lockheed to cut launch vehicle life-cycle costs by Martin and McDonnell Douglas. 25 to 50 percent. This goal is to be achieved through the use of up-graded Both the McDonnell Douglas and the (but not “clean slate”) technology, Lockheed Martin designs are based on improved manufacturing, and decreased commercial launch vehicles now in launch operations overhead. development and or in use. The Lockheed Martin design uses technology The EELV will use existing technology or from both the Atlas and the Titan components in order to reduce cost, programs while the McDonnell Douglas time, and development risks. Beyond its entry will build on the current Delta 2 and immediate goal of reducing the cost and the Delta 3 (currently in development). complexity of government launch operations, the EELV program is also The McDonnell Douglas EELV intended to increase US commercial Although proven technology is being used market share when EELV manufacturers in the design of these launch vehicles, use the vehicles to compete for new technologies are also being international launch contracts. It is introduced. McDonnell Douglas will use hoped that the EELV will increase US the first new liquid rocket engine market share from the current developed in the United States since the approximately 35 percent to around 50 Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), percent of the world market. which was designed in the seventies. This engine, the Rockwell-Rocketdyne RS- In 1995, four companies were awarded 68, is being developed from the S-II 15 month, $30 million, concept validation engine used on the second stage of the contracts for initial EELV work. These Saturn 5 moon rocket with the addition companies were Alliant Techsystems, of technology from the SSME (also built Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and by Rockwell-Rocketdyne). It will be both McDonnell Douglas. On December 20, larger and simpler than the SSME and is 1996 the second major selection in the one of the key technologies required to three-part EELV program took place. make the McDonnell Douglas EELV a Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas success. The commercial version of were selected as the two firms to further McDonnell Douglas’ EELV has been develop their EELV designs under two referred to as the Delta 4. $60 million pre-development engineering and manufacturing contracts. Alliant Techsystems’ proposal for a largely solid- Federal Aviation Administration • Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Special Report SR-2 Another interesting design feature of the months while it is prepared for launch. McDonnell Douglas EELV is its use of As the availability of launch pads is one horizontal integration (Boeing’s EELV plans of the limiting factors on launch rates, also included horizontal integration). horizontal integration is also a desirable Horizontal integration is when a launch characteristic and contributes to the vehicle is assembled, tested, and economic advantages that are a major prepared for launch lying on its side (i.e. part of the EELV program’s goal. horizontally), which is done away from the launch pad. When integration is The Lockheed Martin EELV complete and it is time to launch, the Lockheed Martin also plans to use a new vehicle is moved to the pad, raised, and rocket engine, the NPO Energomash RD- launched in short order. McDonnell 180, for its EELV. This engine is a Douglas expects to reduce pad time from derivative of the RD-170 that was used the current 24 days to a period of six to by the Russian Energia heavy lift launch eight days. In many ways horizontal vehicle (no longer in service). The RD- integration is easier than the current US 180 is expected to give a five percent standard of vertical integration; horizontal performance advantage over current integration has always been the Russian American engines. Because the RD-180 standard. has 70-percent component commonality with the proven RD-170 it should be In addition to making the launch vehicle cheaper and less risky to develop than a easier to work on by keeping it closer to totally new design. In order to meet the ground, horizontal integration also national security requirements this engine greatly reduces time spent occupying the will be built by Pratt & Whitney in the launch pad. With the exception of the United States. Saturn family of launch vehicles and the space shuttle (which uses the same pad Lockheed Martin is also developing an infrastructure) US vehicles are all improved version of its Agena main axial assembled or “stacked” on the launch engine for use in a new EELV upper pad in a vertical position. This is done stage. This storable propellant upper because of historical and technological stage will be part of Lockheed Martin’s inertia and has long been recognized as EELV entry but it will also be available for a serious bottleneck in US space other launch vehicles such as Lockheed operations. This is why the Saturn family’s Martin’s Atlas. launch infrastructure was designed to allow vehicle assembly and integration to Following the second phase of the EELV take place in the very tall vehicle competition, which is scheduled to end in assembly building (VAB) with the move to May 1998, one of the two vehicles will the launch pad delayed to the last be selected for the final $1.6 billion minute. Moving vertical rockets is an engineering and manufacturing expensive proposition, however, and the development phase. This phase will result Saturn example has not been imitated. A in a medium-size EELV launch in the year Titan 4 (for example) may sit on a pad for Federal Aviation Administration • Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Special Report SR-3 2000 followed by a heavy-lift version of · Boeing Sea Launch (partnership to the vehicle in 2003. launch Zenit launch vehicles at sea) · Inertial Upper Stage (upper stage With the announcement that Boeing and used on DoD and planetary probe McDonnell Douglas intend to merge, missions) Boeing reentered the EELV program. In fact with its acquisition of Rockwell- In August of 1996 Boeing agreed to Rocketdyne, Boeing will control both purchase Rockwell International’s space halves of the McDonnell Douglas EELV assets which will be renamed Boeing proposal. North American. This sale included the Rockwell Space Systems Division, The intended merger of Boeing and Rocketdyne, and Rockwell’s Autonetics McDonnell Douglas means that the EELV and Missile Systems. Rockwell’s space competitors are the two largest US related sales were $2.044 billion in aerospace companies. Boeing is also 1994. Current contracts include: heavily involved in the space station program and Lockheed Martin is a major satellite builder. The table below shows · United Space Alliance (partnership the strength of the two firms’ launch with Lockheed Martin to operate the vehicle divisions. Other aspects of these shuttle) companies are discussed below. · Cyclone launch vehicle (marketing partnership) · SSME (space shuttle main engine) Boeing/McDonnell Douglas · RS-68 (new engine for McDonnell The Boeing Company is headquartered in Douglas EELV) Seattle, Washington and is organized · Navstar Block 2F (GPS satellites to into three groups. These are the follow Block 2R now coming on line) commercial Airplane Group, the Defense · Space Shuttle Upgrades. and Space Group, and the Information and Support Services Group. Boeing’s As of December 1996, it had been 1995 sales were $19.5 billion with 1994 agreed that, pending regulatory sales for the Defense and Space Group approval, McDonnell Douglas would at $5.63 billion. Boeing’s major space merge with Boeing under the Boeing contracts are: name. McDonnell Douglas is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with · International Space Station (prime revenues of $14.332 billion in 1995. contractor, $6.3 billion) Boeing/McDonnell Douglas Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicles Launch Vehicles · Cyclone (international partnership · Atlas 2 A, AS acquired with Rockwell) · Atlas 2 AR (in development) · Delta 2 · Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle 1 · Delta 3 (in development) · Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle 2 (in · EELV Family/Delta 4 (in development) development) · Zenit/Sea Launch (Boeing international · Proton (ILS international partnership) partnership) · Titan 4 Current Major Launch Vehicle Programs Federal Aviation Administration • Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Special Report SR-4 1995 space, missile, and electronics · SBIRS sales were $1.9 billion. Current McDonnell Douglas space related Lockheed Martin is also a major contracts include: commercial satellite manufacturer. · Space Station (station truss, $2.1 In April of 1996, Lockheed Martin billion) purchased Loral Corporation’s space · Delta 2 Launch Vehicle assets which are initially grouped in the · Delta 3 Launch Vehicle Tactical Systems Sector. This portion of Loral had 1995 sales of $6.2 billion. · EELV/Delta 4 Launch Vehicle Current contracts include Space Station systems integration for propulsion, communications, tracking, and Lockheed Martin information.
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