A little-known Korean startup backed by Samsung is preparing to launch a small orbital rocket in July. ...Blue Whale 1’s maiden flight will carry a dummy payload to prove the two-stage rocket works, Shin said. The next launch will send a 50-kilogram payload into orbit in early 2021 if not sooner, he said. The company is offering launches for $2 million. Perigee Aerospace plans to launch from the upcoming Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex that another company, Southern Launch, is building on Australia’s southern coastline. Shin said the launch site will be ready in time for Blue Whale 1’s July debut.
https://spacenews.com/backed-by-samsung-south-korean-startup-perigee-aims-for-2020-maiden-launch/QuoteA little-known Korean startup backed by Samsung is preparing to launch a small orbital rocket in July. ...Blue Whale 1’s maiden flight will carry a dummy payload to prove the two-stage rocket works, Shin said. The next launch will send a 50-kilogram payload into orbit in early 2021 if not sooner, he said. The company is offering launches for $2 million. Perigee Aerospace plans to launch from the upcoming Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex that another company, Southern Launch, is building on Australia’s southern coastline. Shin said the launch site will be ready in time for Blue Whale 1’s July debut. So two launches announced for the "Blue Whale 1" from Southern Launch:- test flight in July 2020- operational launch NLT early 2021
Perigee Aerospace will have a table at the next South Australian Space Forum on 19 February. Some performance data on their stage 1 vehicle. Engine uses oxidiser rich staged combustion to achieve 348 s Isp in vacuum! Whaler's Bay launch site allows inclinations from 58°. Dry mass is only 80 kg.
Length = 1.8mWidth = 0.76m?That can't be right, the aspect ratio is crazy.
Quote from: gmbnz on 02/01/2020 01:49 amLength = 1.8mWidth = 0.76m?That can't be right, the aspect ratio is crazy. I think that's the length of the payload fairing.
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 02/01/2020 01:57 amQuote from: gmbnz on 02/01/2020 01:49 amLength = 1.8mWidth = 0.76m?That can't be right, the aspect ratio is crazy. I think that's the length of the payload fairing.It has to be. The rocket in the picture you posted is much longer - maybe 10m? I'm not sure that I'm "eyeballing it" very well.
Quote from: jbenton on 02/01/2020 02:01 amQuote from: Steven Pietrobon on 02/01/2020 01:57 amQuote from: gmbnz on 02/01/2020 01:49 amLength = 1.8mWidth = 0.76m?That can't be right, the aspect ratio is crazy. I think that's the length of the payload fairing.It has to be. The rocket in the picture you posted is much longer - maybe 10m? I'm not sure that I'm "eyeballing it" very well.Perigee had a 1:1 scale banner showing the full-size rocket hanging from the ceiling right next to their stand at the Adelaide Space Forum. Even though it's a "small" rocket, it certainly looks impressive when seen like that!From the specs handed out on the day it is:Length = 8.5mWidth = 0.76mGross takeoff mass = 1,790kgPayload to 500km SSO = 50kgPayload to 500km LEO = 63kg
Quote from: CameronD on 02/21/2020 12:21 amQuote from: jbenton on 02/01/2020 02:01 amQuote from: Steven Pietrobon on 02/01/2020 01:57 amQuote from: gmbnz on 02/01/2020 01:49 amLength = 1.8mWidth = 0.76m?That can't be right, the aspect ratio is crazy. I think that's the length of the payload fairing.It has to be. The rocket in the picture you posted is much longer - maybe 10m? I'm not sure that I'm "eyeballing it" very well.Perigee had a 1:1 scale banner showing the full-size rocket hanging from the ceiling right next to their stand at the Adelaide Space Forum. Even though it's a "small" rocket, it certainly looks impressive when seen like that!From the specs handed out on the day it is:Length = 8.5mWidth = 0.76mGross takeoff mass = 1,790kgPayload to 500km SSO = 50kgPayload to 500km LEO = 63kgAh yes I see. The slides do also mention the 8.5m length. However... the payload doesn't make much sense. Falcon 9: 23T payload and 550T mass: ratio is 4.2% (that's for Full Thrust version, V1 was 3.1%)Minataur I: 580kg and 36200 - 1.6% (solid)Electron: 225kg and 12,500kg: ratio is 1.8%SS-520-5: 4kg and 2600kg - 0.15% (solid)In other words small rockets are of course worse than big rockets since things like avionics are just as heavy, not to mention the whole volume vs surface area -> mass thing. I'll admit there are fewer small rockets to compare, but if you look at the Shavit, Safir, Diamant, or Scout - which are at least at the smaller end of the market - their payload mass fractions are still pretty poor. Of course quite a few of them are ICBMs painted in civilian colours but still: what magic do Perigee have up their sleeves which will give them a 3.5% payload mass fraction, especially considering they are so much lighter than the others? Seems pretty optimistic...Slightly off topic, but there's a great breakdown of the SS-520-5 herehttps://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4120&context=smallsat
The reason for the high mass fraction of 3.5% is because they are using LOX/LNG which has higher Isp than those other vehicles and that they are using staged combustion on their engines!
Does anyone know, if Perigee Aerospace still exists? I haven't heard anything from them for about a year or so. And their website only returns "Error 503".
Quote from: Skyrocket on 06/01/2021 07:40 amDoes anyone know, if Perigee Aerospace still exists? I haven't heard anything from them for about a year or so. And their website only returns "Error 503".The link on Wikipedia no longer works but their website still exists. I don't know about the company per se though.
They do still exist and actually have secured their series A (around $10 million) in 2019 from Korea Development Bank(gov.), Samsung VC Investment, Mirae Asset VC Investment (Mirae Asset, one of the biggest finance company in Korea), etc. (Some news also talks about them securing series B as well but their own update doesn't mention it)Also expanding their engineering staff rn. Currently there are just short of 40 staff members.They had their first successful ignition test, sustained thrust test (time unspecified) and turbopump test last year
Following the launch of South Korea’s first homegrown space rocket Nuri, another challenge for space will be made on Jeju Island.Jeju’s provincial government said Tuesday that the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will test the launch of a science observation rocket in Hangyeong-myeon township on the island to commemorate its 50th anniversary by the end of this year.The test is aimed at tracing the trajectory flight of a small liquid-propelled rocket with a length of 3 meters and a diameter of 20 centimeters.Hankyeong-myeon is an ideal site for rocket launches since it is located outside the airspace of private airports and military bases.
As the Korean launch vehicle Nuri (KSLV-II), made with pure domestic technology, achieved 'half success', while foreign media are paying attention to our rapid development of space science and technology, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), together with Perigee Aerospace (hereinafter referred to as Perigee), a rocket-making startup created by undergraduate students, is planning to launch a rocket from Jeju in December to mark the 50th anniversary of the school's opening this year.<snip>Dowa and KAIST selected Yongsu-ri, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si as the launch site, and completed discussions with residents.Researchers from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST are stationed in Yongsu-ri Village to prepare for launch. The final launch test is expected in early December.Perigee is a start-up company that aims to develop an ultra-small space launch vehicle. CEO Shin Dong-yoon is a 24-year-old fourth-year undergraduate, but he has already been in business for 6 years.This launch is an experiment in ballistic flight of a small liquid-propelled rocket 3m in length and 20cm in diameter. Ultimately, the first liquid methane-based test projectile will be launched into space at an altitude of 100 km or higher.
2021.12.29. Blue Whale 0.1 launch @ Jeju IslandPerigee Aerospace Inc.Rocket failed to follow an intented flight trajectory due to strong wind, and an on-board AFTS terminated the flight.It was an unsuccessful attempt but the team was able to test important hardware to be used on our upcoming orbital launch vehicle (engine, cryo valves, flight computer, telemetry, ground software… etc.)
In a remote coastal area on the southern resort island of Jeju on December 29, Perigee Aerospace launched a test rocket with a length of 3.2 meters, a diameter of 19 centimeters, and a weight of 51 kilograms, using ethanol and liquid oxygen as fuel. It was aimed at building experience and checking the combustion of a liquid propulsion engine and the performance of pre-set flight and trajectory, communication, and navigation devices.After flying for several seconds, the suborbital rocket called "Blue Whale 0.1" came down drawing a trajectory like a shell and fell into the sea with its parachute open. After the rocket was recovered by a civilian fishing boat, Perigee Aerospace CEO Shin Dong-yoon admitted failure, saying the rocket lost its track due to a gust of wind that activated the rocket's automatic flight suspension system. "At the moment the rocket took off, there was a much stronger gust than expected," Shin told reporters. "The wind sent it flying off course and the automatic flight suspension system stopped its engine." However, Shin was not totally disappointed, saying the failed launch conducted in collaboration with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST provided a good experience.
Perigee LOX-LNG upper stage engine prototypes being test fired at rocket development facility in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ㅤHere, two different test configurations are shown:First one is a copper calorimeteric chamber to characterize injector and propellant supply performance.The second one is a flight-like ablative chamber to characterize long duration performance and temperature variations.ㅤNote the plume shapes are different between the two, as the ablative version has a larger nozzle exit angle to connect a nozzle extension.
With static fire completed, we're now preparing for the 3rd and the last flight of the BW-0.1.
Additionally, this BW0.1v3 vehicle is run by an upgraded flight software with an improved aerodynamic model.
I counted only one launch so far, when was the second?
Second flight of the Blue Whale 0.1 🚀— December 29, 2021.Rocket failed to follow an intented flight trajectory due to strong wind, and an on-board AFTS terminated the flight. It was an unsuccessful attempt, but the team was able to test some important hardware for our next test vehicle.
First flight of the sounding rocket — Dec. 05, 2021.Jeju launch center, Jeju, Korea
The perfect propellant tank doesn't exi-⠀Perigee structure team is testing the propellant tank for the BW-1 upper stage at cryogenic temperature and a maximum expected operating pressure (MEOP).⠀The upper stage engine is pressure-fed for a simple and robust design. So, the tanks should supply propellants to the engine inlets at about 20 bar (290 psi).⠀Normally, this kind of high pressure can only be dealt with by a thick-walled pressure vessel. Not to mention they are soooooooooo heavy for launch vehicles.⠀To reduce the mass, the BW-1 propellant tanks are made of carbon fiber composites. And as the result, the upper stage propellant tank weighs just 20 kg.⠀There are, however, some technical problems when using CFRP for rocket fuel tanks.⠀Firstly, the cryogenic temperature of rocket propellants makes most materials brittle and easy to break at a relatively weak shock and vibration. Therefore, it is essential to keep the resin system somewhat “ductile” even at cryogenic temperature.⠀Secondly, the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) sounds cool but is literally a plastic and even a small shock can trigger fierce combustion in an oxygen-rich environment. To prevent the propellant tanks from becoming a hybrid rocket grain during the flight, special additives were added to increase the activation energy of the wall matrix.⠀Lastly, joining metallic parts was extremely difficult due to CTE difference between CFRP and metals. A special bonding agent that remains elastic over a wide range of temperature (and should also be LOX-compatible) was developed to attach upper and lower bosses, a common dome, and a LOX transfer tube submerged inside the LNG tank.
Their numbers in the table seem to be a bit confused, I don't understand how the rocket could carry 170kg to SSO but only 150kg to unspecified "LEO." Since elsewhere on the site it's said that the rocket carries 150kg to LEO, I'm going to assume the numbers were just swapped in the table and it should be 170kg to "LEO."Also, while IANARS and I sometimes have gotten in trouble for looking too closely at numbers, I don't understand how the upper-stage engine has just 4.3kN of thrust. For comparison, Electron's vacuum Rutherford has 25.8kN, six times as much. Sure, that's the uprated Electron which carries 33% more payload to SSO, but unless the first stage is doing significantly more of the work, I don't see how the second stage gets the job done.And if the first stage is doing significantly more of the work...then that's an interesting design decision and I'd be curious what the community thinks about it.
The small thrust of the second stage is probably due to the fact that the payload is launched into orbit by one (but not two) engine actuations. In this case, the optimal thrust of the second stage may be ten times smaller than the thrust of the first stage.
BW-0.3 hover test. Will be followed by the development of upper stage named BW-0.4 and first stage named BW-0.6.
Quote from: Mahurora on 06/06/2023 09:46 pmBW-0.3 hover test. Will be followed by the development of upper stage named BW-0.4 and first stage named BW-0.6. Was there a Blue Whale 0.2?
They have released the launch animation of Blue Whale 1, their launch vehicle
https://www.mk.co.kr/en/it/10988022Reports that Perigee Aerospace may be targeting a May 27th test of its vehicule (I've heard it may more likely be a sea-launched test of the second stage, BW-0.4, instead of the first stage), the article says it is an orbital test?
"Meet Cetacea 1, our marine launch platform. Stay tuned for its first mission: BW0.4 launch. "
Quote from: tankat0208 on 02/21/2024 01:24 amThey have released the launch animation of Blue Whale 1, their launch vehicleA smaller version of Falcon 9, complete with grid fins and landing legs, but launching and landing on jack-up barges and with the fairings staying with the booster!Nice!
On the 23rd, Perigee Aerospace announced that it will tentatively launch Blue Whale from Jeju on the 27th of next month, at the latest within the first half of this year. The launch will use ‘Setesia 1’, a Perigi Aerospace marine launch platform, in the west sea of Jeju. The plan is to launch Blue Whale from a launch pad located at sea, perform a suborbital flight, and then drop it to the sea level within a safety control radius. Perigee Aerospace said, “This launch will verify the flight capabilities of Blue Whale, which we developed ourselves. If the launch is successful, it will mean that the performance and stability of the propulsion, structure, and flight control systems of the launch vehicle have been verified.” explained.This launch will also carry a payload. It will be launched carrying micro-satellite components from domestic space company Cairospace and Spacelintech's space medicine platform. Perigee Aerospace said, “In addition to verifying the launch vehicle, we will also verify the space technology of domestic New Space companies.”
SSC and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have signed a collaborative agreement to launch satellites jointly from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, starting 2025. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher will be the first-ever orbital rocket launched from Esrange.
SSC and Perigee to launch satellites from EsrangeQuoteSSC and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have signed a collaborative agreement to launch satellites jointly from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, starting 2025. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher will be the first-ever orbital rocket launched from Esrange.Esrange has previously announced agreements with RFA, Isar, and HyImpulse, but that statement about the "first-ever orbital rocket launched from Esrange" suggests that Blue Whale 1 will come before those (if those companies even continue to have plans involving Esrange).
https://m.mk.co.kr/news/it/10998084QuoteOn the 23rd, Perigee Aerospace announced that it will tentatively launch Blue Whale from Jeju on the 27th of next month, at the latest within the first half of this year. The launch will use ‘Setesia 1’, a Perigi Aerospace marine launch platform, in the west sea of Jeju. The plan is to launch Blue Whale from a launch pad located at sea, perform a suborbital flight, and then drop it to the sea level within a safety control radius. Perigee Aerospace said, “This launch will verify the flight capabilities of Blue Whale, which we developed ourselves. If the launch is successful, it will mean that the performance and stability of the propulsion, structure, and flight control systems of the launch vehicle have been verified.” explained.This launch will also carry a payload. It will be launched carrying micro-satellite components from domestic space company Cairospace and Spacelintech's space medicine platform. Perigee Aerospace said, “In addition to verifying the launch vehicle, we will also verify the space technology of domestic New Space companies.”
No news of the BW 0.4 launch but they seem to have "rolled it out"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7lLeayhi9y/?img_index=2