Session
Technical Session VI: Next on the Pad
Abstract
With the influx of small satellites in recent years, a host of launchers are vying to address demand--from new entrants to mainstay launch services providers--and operators are looking for cost effective access to space. Ride sharing or launching multiple satellites on one launcher is one of the ways this can be achieved. There are complications to this option however, including manifest availability, schedule assurance and deployment to the necessary orbital location. In some instances, a dedicated launch makes more sense; performance isn’t sacrificed and costly adjustments to the satellite propulsion systems are not necessary.
Competition among the many launchers in the small satellite market is fierce and a key question remains: does the supply of launchers exceed the actual demand and number of small satellites being manufactured? At this time there are dozens of potential competitors lining up to serve this market when only a few short years ago, these vehicles were in very short supply.
Khrunichev State Research Production Space Center (Khrunichev), of Moscow, which reached its 100 year anniversary in the space industry this past April, has addressed the need for cost effective access to space with a new vehicle—the Angara 1.2 This new vehicle will address the full range of mass classes to all types of orbits with lift capability of up to 3 MT to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The Angara 1.2 vehicle will be available to support a commercial launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in Northern Russia, in 2019. Following that initial launch opportunity, there are plans for up to two commercial Angara 1.2 missions per year starting in 2020 under the auspices of International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S. company located in Reston, Virginia, a subsidiary of Khrunichev. ILS is a launch services provider with the exclusive rights to market the Angara and Proton vehicles, built by Khrunichev, to the commercial marketplace.
The Launch Vehicle Landscape: New and Existing Entrants Serving the SmallSat Market
With the influx of small satellites in recent years, a host of launchers are vying to address demand--from new entrants to mainstay launch services providers--and operators are looking for cost effective access to space. Ride sharing or launching multiple satellites on one launcher is one of the ways this can be achieved. There are complications to this option however, including manifest availability, schedule assurance and deployment to the necessary orbital location. In some instances, a dedicated launch makes more sense; performance isn’t sacrificed and costly adjustments to the satellite propulsion systems are not necessary.
Competition among the many launchers in the small satellite market is fierce and a key question remains: does the supply of launchers exceed the actual demand and number of small satellites being manufactured? At this time there are dozens of potential competitors lining up to serve this market when only a few short years ago, these vehicles were in very short supply.
Khrunichev State Research Production Space Center (Khrunichev), of Moscow, which reached its 100 year anniversary in the space industry this past April, has addressed the need for cost effective access to space with a new vehicle—the Angara 1.2 This new vehicle will address the full range of mass classes to all types of orbits with lift capability of up to 3 MT to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The Angara 1.2 vehicle will be available to support a commercial launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in Northern Russia, in 2019. Following that initial launch opportunity, there are plans for up to two commercial Angara 1.2 missions per year starting in 2020 under the auspices of International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S. company located in Reston, Virginia, a subsidiary of Khrunichev. ILS is a launch services provider with the exclusive rights to market the Angara and Proton vehicles, built by Khrunichev, to the commercial marketplace.
