So does the WorldView 4 mission seem likely as the first test of the gaseous H2-O2 thrusters? This payload was called GeoEye 2 when it was sent to long term storage back in 2013....
Quote from: sdsds on 09/20/2015 06:14 amWhat's the current thinking about the first mission on which IVF-Centaur will fly? Is there a USAF payload that makes sense for this? Or with the reemergence of commercial customers on Atlas (e.g. Morelos 3), could it be one of them?I found this item.http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Published_Papers/Supporting_Technologies/Orbital_Disposal_of_Launch_Vehicle_Upper_Stages_final.pdfIt seems fairly recent and they are talking specifically about a flight test in June 2016 for disposal of upper stages. However they also talk of using fuel cells, which I thought was pretty much off the table. Apparently upper stage disposal is tough, especially if the payload was bound for GEO. Tapping remaining propellant lets you put it in an orbit with a low probability of collision, which seems to be better than one which (eventually) decay to reentry, but in a fairly random way and hence could hit something on the way down.I really hope this is going ahead. It will demonstrate (partly) the IVF concept works and gather operating data to help refine the design ULA had done their 100th consecutive successful launch, as measured by their customers. As the first of the IVF flight trials it could be even more important to the company.
What's the current thinking about the first mission on which IVF-Centaur will fly? Is there a USAF payload that makes sense for this? Or with the reemergence of commercial customers on Atlas (e.g. Morelos 3), could it be one of them?
"Weeks" and "month(s)" of loiter time due to reduced boil off/use of advanced MLI
The weak part for me is the need to launch another expensive expendable launcher to refuel the 2nd stage. This is where having a reusable architecture would fit very nicely into an ACES architecture. Or vice versa. IMO.
Would love to see this scaled up and offered as an SLS EUS upgrade path.
The key is to enable upper-stage to upper-stage rendezvous and propellant transfer
Quote from: jongoff on 08/29/2016 11:26 pmThe key is to enable upper-stage to upper-stage rendezvous and propellant transferWell put! For so long it seemed everyone thought a "depot" was required. Reality is slowly sinking in: a depot is nice but the key enabler is propellant transfer.With Vulcan (or more specifically distributed launch), ULA is certainly expediting this shift in thinking!
Quote from: rcoppola on 08/26/2016 07:21 pmThe weak part for me is the need to launch another expensive expendable launcher to refuel the 2nd stage. This is where having a reusable architecture would fit very nicely into an ACES architecture. Or vice versa. IMO.I think that even tanker launches by an expendable vehicle can give you some real benefits, but agree that pairing Vulcan/ACES with a more reusable earth-to-orbit launch vehicle can make the idea even better. The big takeaway I've always had for reusable vehicles is that you need a lot of flights per year for a fully-reusable vehicle to shine, and launching propellant for distributed lift could be just such a market.It is interesting that ULA has good relationships with both Blue Origin (that is developing its own orbital RLV), and Masten (which is one of the contenders for XS-1's Phase 2), so there may be some interesting possibilities down the road.The key is to enable upper-stage to upper-stage rendezvous and propellant transfer, which are pieces that I'm trying to get on the table with Altius.~Jon
Who has need for distributed lift?
Distributed Lift may not need to wait for ACES. They are planning on converting Centuar to IVF and paper gives scenarios where Centuar is used.