Excalibur Almaz

[Danderman]

Let me provide some actual new data here.  This has been kicking around my files for 10 years as hard copy, but I finally scanned it.

[Ronsmytheiii]

KSC media uploaded a graphic today:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=58570

[Capt. David]

KSC media uploaded a graphic today:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=58570

Very interesting. A lot has changed with Excalibur Almaz. Leroy Chiao is gone and their Public Relations person has also changed.

David L. Rickman

[QuantumG]

Leroy Chiao is gone

Jumped ship to SpaceX.

[oiorionsbelt]

Any news on which booster they intend to use?

[Moe Grills]

KSC media uploaded a graphic today:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=58570

Very interesting. A lot has changed with Excalibur Almaz. Leroy Chiao is gone and their Public Relations person has also changed.

David L. Rickman

Do not be surprised if Mr. Chiao 'saw the writing on the wall'; and quit
while the quiting was good.
I know what it's like to stick with a firm/business being run into the ground until the bitter end. And then? Your final check bounces in the bank. You can't collect unemployment  benefits because the company's bookkeeping was shoddy at best.   

Take it as sign, a negative one, when a person in the know leaves a project like that. Too many people hope beyond hope, until they take
leave of their senses and  lose all sense of reality and reason.

[Danderman]

I know what it's like to stick with a firm/business being run into the ground until the bitter end.

The implication is that Excalibur Almaz is failing. I never saw any evidence that the company had a good plan, so its hard to know if they are failing that plan.

[A_M_Swallow]

The implication is that Excalibur Almaz is failing. I never saw any evidence that the company had a good plan, so its hard to know if they are failing that plan.

It does not matter whether they have a plan or not.  The important questions are:

Do they have a launch vehicle?
Do they have any customers?
How much money do they have?
What is their financial burn rate?

[Danderman]

FWIW, Stratolaunch would be a good choice as an LV for Excalibur Almaz.

[Jason1701]

FWIW, Stratolaunch would be a good choice as an LV for Excalibur Almaz.

Why is that?

(Because they're both vaporware?)

[yg1968]

Any news on which booster they intend to use?

They haven't decided but one of their milestones is related to LV compatibility. I would guess the Atlas V.

[Downix]

Any news on which booster they intend to use?

They haven't decided but one of their milestones is related to LV compatibility. I would guess the Atlas V.

I would guess the Zenit, as that is the launcher listed already, and it has already been tested with at least one Zenit component, the upper stage.

[Danderman]

Any news on which booster they intend to use?

They haven't decided but one of their milestones is related to LV compatibility. I would guess the Atlas V.

I would guess the Zenit, as that is the launcher listed already, and it has already been tested with at least one Zenit component, the upper stage.

Excalibur Almaz has been tested with a Zenit upper stage?   

[Downix]

Any news on which booster they intend to use?

They haven't decided but one of their milestones is related to LV compatibility. I would guess the Atlas V.

I would guess the Zenit, as that is the launcher listed already, and it has already been tested with at least one Zenit component, the upper stage.

Excalibur Almaz has been tested with a Zenit upper stage?   

Several flight tested Almaz VA units were launched on the Proton-K in the 8K82K configuration, sporting a Blok-D for final burn.  An evolved Blok-D is used on the Zenit today as its third stage. As for the Excalibur Almaz itself, no idea, but the Almaz units as the Soviets built them were.

[Danderman]

Several flight tested Almaz VA units were launched on the Proton-K in the 8K82K configuration, sporting a Blok-D for final burn. 

Nope. Almaz VA flights used a 3 stage Proton.  No Blok-D.

An evolved Blok-D is used on the Zenit today as its third stage.

If used to launch an Almaz VA, Zenit would be in a two stage configuration. There would be no need for a 3rd stage, and Blok-DM cannot handle the loads of an Almaz-VA plus escape tower.

[Prober]

FWIW, Stratolaunch would be a good choice as an LV for Excalibur Almaz.

tosses coin, ahhh the project needed some Liberty anyhow.

[Downix]

Several flight tested Almaz VA units were launched on the Proton-K in the 8K82K configuration, sporting a Blok-D for final burn. 

Nope. Almaz VA flights used a 3 stage Proton.  No Blok-D.

The paper I have for Cosmos 883 listed a Blok-D, but am willing to concede this point in light of your other point.

An evolved Blok-D is used on the Zenit today as its third stage.

If used to launch an Almaz VA, Zenit would be in a two stage configuration. There would be no need for a 3rd stage, and Blok-DM cannot handle the loads of an Almaz-VA plus escape tower.

Well, nevermind then.  In any case, I'd still put the Zenit ahead of Atlas for integration.

[Danderman]

Several flight tested Almaz VA units were launched on the Proton-K in the 8K82K configuration, sporting a Blok-D for final burn. 

Nope. Almaz VA flights used a 3 stage Proton.  No Blok-D.

The paper I have for Cosmos 883 listed a Blok-D, but am willing to concede this point in light of your other point.

An evolved Blok-D is used on the Zenit today as its third stage.

If used to launch an Almaz VA, Zenit would be in a two stage configuration. There would be no need for a 3rd stage, and Blok-DM cannot handle the loads of an Almaz-VA plus escape tower.

Well, nevermind then.  In any case, I'd still put the Zenit ahead of Atlas for integration.

If you mean Cosmos 881-882, that was a 3 stage Proton, and the Proton 3rd stage has nothing to do with Block-DM, as a design.

Having said all of that, I have seen the flight container for the stacked VA capsules for Proton, and momentarily confused it with a Blok-D fairing, since they have similar diameters. This was at NPO Mash in Reutov.

[simonbp]

FWIW, Stratolaunch would be a good choice as an LV for Excalibur Almaz.

Why is that?

(Because they're both vaporware?)

Stratolaunch has billionaire financial backing and the assistance of three fairly-established contractors. EA has some empty aluminum shells in a warehouse in middle of the Irish Sea. It's hardly a fair comparison.

[Capt. David]

Several flight tested Almaz VA units were launched on the Proton-K in the 8K82K configuration, sporting a Blok-D for final burn. 

Nope. Almaz VA flights used a 3 stage Proton.  No Blok-D.

The paper I have for Cosmos 883 listed a Blok-D, but am willing to concede this point in light of your other point.

An evolved Blok-D is used on the Zenit today as its third stage.

If used to launch an Almaz VA, Zenit would be in a two stage configuration. There would be no need for a 3rd stage, and Blok-DM cannot handle the loads of an Almaz-VA plus escape tower.

Well, nevermind then.  In any case, I'd still put the Zenit ahead of Atlas for integration.

If you mean Cosmos 881-882, that was a 3 stage Proton, and the Proton 3rd stage has nothing to do with Block-DM, as a design.

Having said all of that, I have seen the flight container for the stacked VA capsules for Proton, and momentarily confused it with a Blok-D fairing, since they have similar diameters. This was at NPO Mash in Reutov.

I was never able to locate any evidence that the Dual VA container is still in existence, although there's still a lot of stuff NPO Mash isn't showing.

I do have a photograph of the TKS launch fairing and it confirmed that the photographs and footage that has been released as TKS on Proton (like the image above which was pieced together from footage) is, in fact, the Dual VA on Proton.

I'm still waiting for any photograph or footage of TKS on Proton, but as far as I know none have been released yet.

Best Regards,

David L. Rickman