A Brazilian Space Launch System for the Small Satellite Market

Abstract

At present, most small satellites are delivered as hosted payloads on large launch vehicles. Considering the current technological development, constellations of small satellites can provide a broad range of services operating at designated orbits. To achieve that, small satellite customers are seeking cost-effective launch services for dedicated missions. This paper deals with performance and cost assessments of a set of launch vehicle concepts based on a solid propellant rocket engine (S-50) under development by the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Brazil) with support from the Brazilian Space Agency. Cost estimation analysis, based on the TRANSCOST model, was carried out taking into account the costs of launch system development, vehicle fabrication, direct and indirect operation cost. A cost-competitive expendable launch system was identified by using three S-50 solid rocket motors for the first stage, one S-50 engine for the second stage and a flight-proven cluster of pressure-fed liquid engines for the third stage. This launch system, operating from the Alcantara Launch Center, located at 2 ∘ 20’ S, would deliver satellites from the 500 kg class in typical polar missions with a specific transportation cost of about US$39,000 per kilogram of payload at a rate of 12 launches per year, in dedicated missions. At a low inclined orbit, vehicle payload capacity increased, decreasing the specific transportation cost to about 32,000 US$/kg. Cost analysis also showed that vehicle development effort would claim 781 work year, or less than 80 million dollars. Vehicle fabrication accounted for 174 work year representing less than 23 million dollars per unit. The launch system based on the best concept would, therefore, deploy small satellite constellations in cost-effective dedicated launches, 224 work year per flight, from the Alcantara Launch Center in Brazil.

Bridging the Technology Gap: Strategies for Hybrid Rocket Engines

“…Later, Božić et al [13] conducted a similar study for the Brazilian Microsatellite Launch Vehicle (VLM-1) [14], which is a three-staged solid launcher in its reference design. To replace the upper stage, a pressure-fed H 2 O 2 and HTPB/PE blend with metal additives are used as propellants.…”

On the Multidisciplinary Design of a Hybrid Rocket Launcher with a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel

“…The demand for low-cost launch vehicles is expected to increase in the near future due to the increased demand currently not met by the available launch providers [1,2]. Hybrid rocket launchers may provide a sustainable solution by minimising both costs and environmental impact [3,4].…”

Performance Comparison of Control Strategies for a Variable-Thrust Solid-Propellant Rocket Motor

“…Solid-propellant rocket motors (SRMs) have simple structures and are suitable for long-term storage compared to other types of propellant systems, so they have been used for various applications [1][2][3][4][5]. However, once the specifications of an SRM, including propellant and nozzle throat area, are determined, the thrust level of the system is generally fixed and hard to control [1].…”