aerospace Article A Brazilian Space Launch System for the Small Satellite Market Pedro L. K. da Cás 1 , Carlos A. G. Veras 2,* , Olexiy Shynkarenko 1 and Rodrigo Leonardi 3 1 Chemical Propulsion Laboratory, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil;
[email protected] (P.L.K.d.C.);
[email protected] (O.S.) 2 Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil 3 Directorate of Satellites, Applications and Development, Brazilian Space Agency, Brasília 70610-200, DF, Brazil;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 8 July 2019; Accepted: 8 October 2019; Published: 12 November 2019 Abstract: At present, most small satellites are delivered as hosted payloads on large launch vehicles. Considering the current technological development, constellations of small satellites can provide a broad range of services operating at designated orbits. To achieve that, small satellite customers are seeking cost-effective launch services for dedicated missions. This paper deals with performance and cost assessments of a set of launch vehicle concepts based on a solid propellant rocket engine (S-50) under development by the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Brazil) with support from the Brazilian Space Agency. Cost estimation analysis, based on the TRANSCOST model, was carried out taking into account the costs of launch system development, vehicle fabrication, direct and indirect operation cost. A cost-competitive expendable launch system was identified by using three S-50 solid rocket motors for the first stage, one S-50 engine for the second stage and a flight-proven cluster of pressure-fed liquid engines for the third stage.