“We are quite sure we would be in a position to offer the best solutions for customers and the taxpayers. And if it comes to a question of employment, we are ready to see how we can ‘Americanize’ our launcher.”
I believe they would need to get 51% American-built components to do that. Antares is about as close as you can get with Russian first stage engines and Ukranian-built first stage tankage. Atlas V is next with Russian engines and Swiss 5-meter faring (based on the A5 faring).
The Atlas V engine is NOT a Russian engine. 30% of the engine parts were designed for the Atlas V.
Full story is on how Arianespace wants to compete for US government payloads:http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/03/18/arianespace-compete-american-market/But note this quote:Quote“We are quite sure we would be in a position to offer the best solutions for customers and the taxpayers. And if it comes to a question of employment, we are ready to see how we can ‘Americanize’ our launcher.”US government usually has security issues for payloads in addition to ITAR, so I would imagine it would launch from the US. Might Arianespace push for a familiar concept that already "Americanizes" Ariane 5?
Yes, it is. 100% Russian content. the above 30% is still Russian supplied.
1. That's a very important 30% that was needed to bring the engine up to American standards.2. Manufactured by a Russian Contractor, the design is a hybrid with only 70% being in common with the Russian engine the RD-170.3. This is the "pure" Russian engine http://www.astronautix.com/engines/rd170.htm4. Was the Soviet/Russian engine designed to run on us RP-1?5. Compare the specifications of the RD-170 vs RD-180. The Pdf of the RD-180 is posted6. How about the throttling etc ?7. the RD-180 is not your dad's Russian engine
My guess would be to keep the basic Ariane outline, but with a US-make core stage tanks and SRBs and European first stage engines, upper stage, and faring. That's not as ridiculous as it could be, especially if you 9x Aerojet Atlas V boosters, Delta II-style. But finding a US airframer to build the core stage would not be easy; IMHO Northrup is the most logical choice, if they actually want to do it.
Ariane already fails at it's main purpose, which is independent European access to space. European government payloads being launched on Soyuz and Falcon 9 are prime examples of this. Why would they even look at "Americanizing" it, no longer making it an independent European launcher?
And I wouldn't assume that "americanizing" Ariane 5 would mean, that Europe drops this launcher.
Ariane's core is top-lifted, and the thrust of the boosters is transferred through the forward skirt on top of the core. Using smaller Atlas V boosters would require a core redesign and significantly increase empty mass.
The only American launch vehicle that uses top-lifting boosters is SLS , but arent the new boosters too big for Ariane 5?
I really don't think this idea will fly, there is no easy way to add enough US content to the Ariane V without essentially developing a new rocket and with four domestic rocket families for medium to large payloads (Falcon, Atlas V, Delta IV, and Antares) as well as the Athena, Pegasus, and Minotaur for light payloads there is hardly a justification for DoD or NASA to waive the requirements of the Buy America Act. This idea likely won't go any farther than a few speeches from Mr. Israel.
Quote from: JMSC on 03/23/2014 12:33 amI really don't think this idea will fly, there is no easy way to add enough US content to the Ariane V without essentially developing a new rocket and with four domestic rocket families for medium to large payloads (Falcon, Atlas V, Delta IV, and Antares) as well as the Athena, Pegasus, and Minotaur for light payloads there is hardly a justification for DoD or NASA to waive the requirements of the Buy America Act. This idea likely won't go any farther than a few speeches from Mr. Israel.The real need is for crew to ISS. The best American content is a spacecraft. Fill the need with the Dream Chaser http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33760.0A 3-4 Operational crew Dream Chaser launched out of Guiana could be a welcome problem fixer.Launching a test Dream Chaser test vehicle in a time aggressive campaign maybe 2015 would be a win, win.