Author Topic: Countdown to new smallsat launchers (Read 419721 times)

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #480 on:** 12/20/2018 08:18 am »

Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/20/2018 05:57 am

[EDIT So the linear aerospike is a pressure fed HTP thruster, rather than a biprop?

ARCA says they can't get HTP in Roumania any longer, so are using some other propellant, but haven't said what that is. They say they can get HTP from Germany (if I remember right), but are not doing that now due to the long time it takes to get qualified by the new supplier. All this is not a great confidence builder, plus its now 20 December with no updates on their Facebook page.

TrevorMonty · « **Reply #481 on:** 12/20/2018 04:03 pm »

spacenews.com/new-contracts-demonstrate-continued-strong-demand-for-smallsat-rideshare-launch-services/

The two dedicated rideshare missions in this article are using PSLV (1,750kg to SSO). No mention of another F9 launch but thats not to say Spaceflight wouldn't do another. They did say logistics of organising so many payloads for last F9 SSO mission wasn't easy.

Rideshare isn't just limited to bigger LVs, Electron does do rideshare, just on smaller scale. The last flight was a rideshare, just one NASA organised and paid for.

Edit. Just found this article.

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firefly-aerospace-enters-launch-brokerage-agreement-with-spaceflight-300767505.html

Davidthefat · « **Reply #482 on:** 12/20/2018 04:05 pm »

Keep in mind hot fire doesn't necessarily mean success either; we don't know what performance they were getting, if they were getting any instabilities, if they have a reproducible/manufacturable design, what the lead times to make said engines, ect. If it took them one year to make that one engine, it doesn't really tell you much about their ability to compete with a launch cadence. Also a 20 second fire isn't gonna tell you if the engine will kill itself 30 seconds in unless the engine is already qualified to the full mission duration.

Also you know that generally if they don't advertise the burn time, it means they haven't met the duration required for an actual flight.

whitelancer64 · « **Reply #483 on:** 12/20/2018 05:28 pm »

Quote from: john smith 19 on 12/20/2018 05:57 am

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 12/19/2018 02:26 am
Considering that ARCA are about to test their LAS25D 245 kN and D3 Aerospike engine soon (they say 20 December), they might have moved into Very Long Shots.

https://www.facebook.com/arcaspace/
That looks like a linear aerospike at the back end of solid stage. Is that right?
*snip*

That's not a solid stage, it's a fuel tank.

https://twitter.com/arcaspace/status/1036873191417896961

Lars-J · « **Reply #484 on:** 12/20/2018 05:56 pm »

It's also just a prop.

GWH · « **Reply #485 on:** 12/22/2018 12:40 am »

Space Horizon of Canada annouced their 1200 kg to LEO rocket. Aiming for 2024 launch, but info is sparse and it looks like a part time effort. I would be excited to see a domestic launch vehicle here but they don't seem to be serious contenders yet...

I would speculate they would try to use Ukrainian engines based off one of their personnel.
https://www.spacehorizon.ca/lv1.php

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #486 on:** 12/22/2018 02:07 am »

Heavy snow has delayed ARCA's engine test, which should now be in early January.

youtube.com/watch?v=xw2wVMQxhXQ

catdlr · « **Reply #487 on:** 12/22/2018 09:45 am »

FCC fines Swarm $900,000 for unauthorized smallsat launch

SpaceNews article: Swarm Technologies will pay $900,000

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #488 on:** 01/01/2019 04:09 am »

ARCA have done a fit test of their LAS 25D engine. I think they need a bigger flame bucket.

https://www.facebook.com/arcaspace/

Lars-J · « **Reply #489 on:** 01/01/2019 04:43 am »

Not only that - They need to disassemble the thrust chamber before you can remove it from the "test stand".

Yeah. Look closer and you see what I mean. (and see the FB images)

If they are going to pass this off as real they should put more effort into it.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #490 on:** 01/12/2019 04:28 am »

Latest ARCA video. Their new engine features an interface with four ball valves connected to a single volume propellant tank. Over 35 MW of electrical power seem to feed into what look like heater elements at the bottom of the tank. More details to be released in a future white paper.

launchwatcher · « **Reply #491 on:** 01/12/2019 05:36 am »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 01/12/2019 04:28 am

Over 35 MW of electrical power seem to feed into what look like heater elements at the bottom of the tank.

conductors look a bit undersized for that.

ringsider · « **Reply #492 on:** 01/12/2019 06:12 am »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 01/12/2019 04:28 am

Over 35 MW of electrical power

35MW of power? 45MW of power can power an entire city of 80,000 people.... At that level they are claiming to almost literally be using the entire capacity of one of Bucharest's 6 power generation stations, through what looks like the heating elements of some tea kettles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucharest_South_Power_Station

Davidthefat · « **Reply #493 on:** 01/13/2019 01:37 am »

I'll be honest, I look forward to Arca's videos every time. I find them quite entertaining and I do look forward to what they pull out next time.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #494 on:** 01/13/2019 02:16 am »

I'm as confused by the "at least 35 MW" as the rest of you. ARCA may be referring to rocket engine power, but that is about 0.5*(F/v)*v*v = 0.5*F*v = 0.5*25000*9.8*300*9.8 = 360 MW. Maybe it is peak power. Pulses of 35 MW every second for 1 ms would have an average power of 35 kW.

RonM · « **Reply #495 on:** 01/13/2019 03:35 am »

Looks to me like they have made a very large electric water heater.

TrevorMonty · « **Reply #496 on:** 01/14/2019 06:50 pm »

dawnaerospace.com/news/

This is a Netherlands based company with a New Zealand operations.
They are working on unmanned rocket powered planes for suborbital flight and eventual orbital with 2nd stage.

The NZ operations is due to less restricted airspace and easy access to space. I suspect they are benefitting from regulatory framework put in place by Rocket labs.

edzieba · « **Reply #497 on:** 01/15/2019 01:18 pm »

Am I right in understanding ARCA are trying for 'autogenous' pressure-fed engines using actively heated propellants? Rocket Lab's Rutherfords use 37kW of pump power per engine (so 0.3MW for the first stage) so at 33MW they're a single order of magnitude from a flight-tested system.
I guess it's safer than feeding back combustion products directly to the tanks (without the separate paths of FFSC) and easier than trying to pipe combustion products through loops in the tank. I'd have though pumping fuel & oxidiser separately though chamber walls or bell and feeding the hot fluids/gas back to the tank (to avoid mixing) would be lighter than a secondary heater system, or even a separate one-shot chemical heat (or gas!) generator, though I can see a direct electric heater being easier and cheaper to implement as proof of concept.

Davidthefat · « **Reply #498 on:** 01/15/2019 03:49 pm »

Quote from: edzieba on 01/15/2019 01:18 pm

Am I right in understanding ARCA are trying for 'autogenous' pressure-fed engines using actively heated propellants? Rocket Lab's Rutherfords use 37kW of pump power per engine (so 0.3MW for the first stage) so at 33MW they're a single order of magnitude from a flight-tested system.
I guess it's safer than feeding back combustion products directly to the tanks (without the separate paths of FFSC) and easier than trying to pipe combustion products through loops in the tank. I'd have though pumping fuel & oxidiser separately though chamber walls or bell and feeding the hot fluids/gas back to the tank (to avoid mixing) would be lighter than a secondary heater system, or even a separate one-shot chemical heat (or gas!) generator, though I can see a direct electric heater being easier and cheaper to implement as proof of concept.

They seem to be heating up hydrogen peroxide with an additive mixed in (because they are touting they are using a "new propellant") and decomposing the peroxide. It's a monopropellant system; it's all they have done in the past.

They have no pumps. What you see are 4 ball valves.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #499 on:** 01/18/2019 07:01 pm »

https://twitter.com/rocketstarspace/status/1086311380767162369

Quote

It's official! Next stop: Space!
Rocket: Cowbell
Engine: Proprietary aerospike
Planned altitude: 50 Miles
Launch location: Barge launch, off Cape Canaveral
#CarpeAstra #aerospike #cowbell #rocketlaunch #space #rocketstar