The Scorpius Low Cost Launch System
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I I 9th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites I THE Scorpius I LOW COST LAUNCH SYSTEM I James R. Wertz I Edward L. Keith I Microcosm, Torrance, CA I Abstract The program is funded under multiple contracts with the US Air Force Scorpius is a Microcosm program Phillips Laboratory and Microcosm I to develop an entirely new launch vehicle internal IR&D. Microcosm has developed family with the following objectives: an overall system design and built and fired multiple test engines for the I sounding rocket and light lift vehicles. • Better than 99% reliability Southwest Research Institute has • Launch within 8 hours of payload delivered the prototype avionics system. arrival at the launch site At present, the program has substantial I • Weather and equipment delays com design margin in all key cost and parable to commercial airlines technical areas. I • Very low initial recurring cost: Scorpius is an R&D program with -SR-S Small Sounding Rocket: no guarantee of success. Nonetheless, at 220 lbs to 200 km for $95,000 each stage the program has been ahead of I -SR-l Sounding Rocket: schedule and done more for the money 900 lbs to 200 km for $275,000 than called for. It has been through multiple formal reviews with no major -SR-3 Micro Lift: show-stoppers identified. We are I 170 lbs to LEO for $700,000 building major hardware elements at far -Liberty Light Lift: less than 1110th the traditional cost. We 2,200 lbs to LEO for $1.7 million anticipate more than a factor of 30 fewer I -Exodus Medium Lift: parts than a traditional vehicle with almost 15,000 lbs to LEO for $7.9 million no machined or tight tolerance components. If funding proceeds, we -Extendible to heavy lift anticipate being able to reduce total launch I • Total non-recurring development costs by a factor of 10 for small payloads cost for all of the above vehicles within 3 years and for medium payloads through light lift of less than $25 within 4 years. I million ($FY94) I - 1 - I I Background light-lift applications. Approximately $1.7 million has been spent on the I The Scorpius concept for a program to date. In addition to other dramatically lower cost launch system hardware and systems development, we was originally developed over a 12 year have built a total of five 5,000 lb thrust I period by Edward Keith, currently the engines, which is the size appropriate for Microcosm principal launch system one and two stage sounding rockets and engineer. [l, 2] The original concept has the Liberty Light-Lift launch vehicle. The now been extended and further verified average manufacturing cost of the five I with substantial systems engineering engines has been less than $5,000 each, work and test hardware development on a excluding the injector. We have now total of seven contracts with US Air achieved over 100 seconds cumulative I Force Phillips Laboratory in burn time on the fifth ablatively-cooled Albuquerque, NM, and through engine with substantial life remaining. Microcosm internal IR&D. The current Although much engine development activity was initiated with a Phase I Small remains to be done, the work to date has I Business Innovative Research (SBIR) demonstrated that we can achieve system study, which began in March, appropriate lifetime, performance, and 1993. The SBIR topic came from the cost goals to meet our program I Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, objectives. but was subsequently transferred to Phillips Laboratory for program I oversight. [3] Phase I was intended purely as a study addressing systems issues for a I dramatically reduced cost vehicle. However, it gained substantial support by accomplishing some hardware I development as well. Specifically, a 5,000 lb thrust test engine was manufactured under Phase I in three weeks for less than $5,000. This was I less than the cost of bringing two TRANSCOST E .. pirical Model ofLlqllid prop....... , Rocket EaPo' Reearrinc Costs, 1lIt1 Eclldoll. engineers to California to explain how to [Dietrich B Koelle, 'TRANSCOST: Statistical-Analytical build low cost rocket engines. The end Model fo< Coot Edtimation and Economic Optimization ci Space I Transportation Systems. MBB Report No. URV-I85(91); result was that the two engineers did not March. 199L I attend the final review (there was no extra budget available in Phase I) and, instead, I sent the finished test engine. This initial test engine was successfully fired in December, 1993, on a private test range I east of San Jose, CA. ®_Mi.......... 7-eIlPo. pod The initial Scorpius study was 0.1 oriented toward the government's need I for medium and heavy lift. Six subsequent contracts have been awarded by Phillips Laboratory to Microcosm for I both systems studies and the develop Fig 1. Scorpius engine cost compared to ment of specific elements of technology. historical data These have focused principally on demonstrating critical hardware elements I and on the initial sounding rocket and I - 2 - I I I Space electronics, on-orbit in GEO $50,000.00 perlb RL-1O Centaur Engine (l6.5K Ib thrust) $27,000.00 perlb = $500.00 per Ib of thrust I Space Shuttle Main Engine (470K lb thrust) $10,000.00 perlb $140.00 per lb of thrust Gold $5,500.00 perlb I F-l Saturn Main Engine (1 ,5OOK lb thrust) $3,000.00 pertb = $35.00 per Ib of thrust Macintosh portable computer $300.00 perlb I Silver $77.00 pertb Steak (T-bone) $6.50 per Ib Kellogg's Corn Flakes $2.50 perlb I Hamburger (30% fat) $1.49 perlb Scorpius Liberty Engine (5K Ib thrust) $150.00 per Ib I ;;;; $0.90 per Ib of thrust Fig 2. Cost comparisions. See text for discussion. In addition, to the engine work, model of historical engine costs I substantial effort has gone into the developed over a period of 30 years by guidance, navigation, and control for the Dietrich Koelle of MBB. [5] Fig. 2 vehicle. 3-D and 6-D simulations of the shows similar information presented I launch profile have been developed and somewhat differently. While the items in run. Results from these simulations will the list are not truly comparable, the be presented early next year. [4] The figure is intended to give some insight I computer and pod electronics for the into the scale of the cost reduction. For launch vehicle have been designed and the Scorpius program, thrust is now developed for Microcosm by Southwest cheaper than hamburger. While this Research Institute of San Antonio, TX. certainly does not, by itself, mean that I The prototypes of both units have been launch vehicle costs will be comparably delivered and· are on display at the reduced, we believe that it is a significant Microcosm booth at this conference. The positive step. I recurring selling price for these units will be substantially less than $10,000 each. There is, of course, far more to a I launch vehicle than simply engines and avionics. Scorpius is a complete system design which addresses the entire I problem of low cost launch services, including the vehicle itself, facilities, and operations costs. However, we believe I reducing engine costs by more than two orders of magnitude compared to projections based on empirical historical models is indicative of the capacity to I make truly dramatic reductions in overall launch costs. Specifically, Fig. 1 shows Fig 3. Scorpius Baseline Configuration the projected Scorpius engine recurring I cost plotted on an empirically-based I - 3 - I I very adequate control. However, early in Scorpius Concept Overview the design process it became clear that I during portions of the flight, particularly The baseline Scorpius Launch fourth stage burn out, the control margins Vehicle configuration consists of 49 were less than we would have preferred engines arranged in seven clusters or for a robust vehicle. Consequently, I pods as shown in Fig. 3. As illustrated in steering by thrust vector control via Fig. 4, this provides four horizontal secondary fluid injection was added to the stages plus an optional fifth "upper" engine design. This somewhat increased I stage. the cost and complexity of the engine, but insured that the integration of the vehicle STAGE 3 BURNOUT & SEPARATION would be easier with looser tolerances. It I is the overall launch system cost that we t ~ wish to minimize. This robustness, which allows a number of low-cost em ::ooN tffI-;;, .. alternatives for most key functions, I provides much of the strength of the Scorpius system design. I em o@;/ STAGE 2 BU'NO", • " ...",ON Ordinarily, propellants and pressurants are a relatively insignificant part of the cost of a launch vehicle. Because· of the overall very low system I cost, this is not the case for Scorpius. 8:8 ~ @!JS<AGE> BURNO", • SEPARA"O' Consequently, we use kerosene and LOX Y at approximately 13¢/lb and 4¢llb, I respectively. The propellants are pressure-fed using a proprietary mixing @~u~" gas generator, which is both low cost and I environmentally safe. It is the mixing gas generator which allows the vehicle to be Fig 4. Scorpius Stagiug Sequence. scaled to medium and heavy lift launch vehicles. Scorpius does not use high I One of the most important pressure tanks and contains no turbo features of Scorpius is that the engines pumps or complex machinery. are fixed in the launch vehicle. There are I no gimbals, actuators, or APUs. Steering The combination of fixed engines is provided by a combination of off and no turbo pumps leads to another key modulation and thrust vector control via element of the design.