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General Discussion => Q&A Section => Topic started by: spacescribe on 07/19/2013 04:54 pm

Title: Orion Rocket Propellant Mass Q &A
Post by: spacescribe on 07/19/2013 04:54 pm
How many pounds of propellant will the Orion rocket that goes to the Moon have?  Is it close to what the Saturn V rocket had?
Title: Re: Orion Rocket Propellant Mass Q &A
Post by: strangequark on 07/19/2013 05:45 pm
How many pounds of propellant will the Orion rocket that goes to the Moon have?  Is it close to what the Saturn V rocket had?

This question is somewhat flawed from the start:

Orion is a crewed reentry capsule, like the Apollo Command Module. It is not a Launch Vehicle, like the Saturn V.
 
SLS (Space Launch System) is the name of the Heavy Lift launch vehicle that will loft the Orion. It is analogous to the Saturn V.

The current mission plan does not include Lunar landings, though there may be flybys.

To attempt an answer to what I think you're asking, the two stage version of the SLS rocket, assuming solid boosters, has
2.7 million pounds Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen
2.7 million pounds solid propellant
5.4 million pounds total propellant

4.71 million pounds Kerosene and Liquid Oxygen
1.22 million pounds Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen
5.93 million pounds total propellant
Title: Re: Orion Rocket Propellant Mass Q &A
Post by: spaceStalker on 07/19/2013 07:14 pm
Project Orion - the nuclear rocket.
Title: Re: Orion Rocket Propellant Mass Q &A
Post by: spacescribe on 07/21/2013 08:33 pm
How many pounds of propellant will the Orion rocket that goes to the Moon have?  Is it close to what the Saturn V rocket had?

This question is somewhat flawed from the start:

Orion is a crewed reentry capsule, like the Apollo Command Module. It is not a Launch Vehicle, like the Saturn V.
 
SLS (Space Launch System) is the name of the Heavy Lift launch vehicle that will loft the Orion. It is analogous to the Saturn V.

The current mission plan does not include Lunar landings, though there may be flybys.

To attempt an answer to what I think you're asking, the two stage version of the SLS rocket, assuming solid boosters, has
2.7 million pounds Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen
2.7 million pounds solid propellant
5.4 million pounds total propellant

4.71 million pounds Kerosene and Liquid Oxygen
1.22 million pounds Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen
5.93 million pounds total propellant

This is what I was looking for.  Thank you.
Title: Re: Orion Rocket Propellant Mass Q &A
Post by: strangequark on 07/22/2013 02:55 pm
This is what I was looking for.  Thank you.

Quite welcome. The data I gave for SLS is scaled from Shuttle, but they should be pretty close.