Heavy Launchersby Alain Souchier

president Association Planète Mars FranceEMC11 Neuchâtel, 1 Octobre 2011

Content

• Heavy launchers of the past• World heavy and semi heavy launchers• NASA heavy launcher• Space X proposals• Russian heavy and semi heavy launchers• Chinese heavy and semi heavy launcher• European capabilities• Heavy launchers missions

Heavy launchers of the past

Saturn 51967 – 1973

13 flights130+15 t

Energya1987 – 1988

2 flights88 t +

Shuttle1981 – 2011135 flights

35 +70+20 t

N11969 – 1972

4 flights95 t

World heavy and semi heavy launchers

LEO payload comparisons

SLS 100-150t

Delta 4H

24t HII B

16,5t

Rus-M

23-50t

In green: projects or development

USA Europe Japan Russia China India

A5ECB

21-23t Proton

20t

GSLVMk2 Mk35t 10t

A6

13t

Atlas 5

18t

Angara

4-35tLiberty 21t

3 5

12t 25-50t

Long March

Chinese HLLV

100-150t

Falcon 9 Heavy

53t

US NASA heavy launcher

Configuration frozen summer 2011: 8.4 m diameter core (identical to ET) with 3 SSME/RS25, 5 segments boosters

Payload with boosters and central core: 70t

Payload with second stage (J2X) and 5 SSMEs: 130t

Operations requested starting in 2017 (unmanned) and 2021 (manned)

Devt costs:12 B$

Docs. NASA

US NASA heavy launcherThe selected configuration remains close to the old Ares 5

RS25 = SSME shuttle engine in an expandable versionPoussée 225 t vacuum thrustSpecific impulse 453 s

J2X engine 130 t thrust (later versions)

Boosters with 5 segments (4 for the shuttle)

130 t payload version

Docs. NASA

Space Xproposals

Space X proposals

Beginning of 2011, Space X has proposed to fly the Falcon 9 Heavy as soon as 2013.

Falcon 9 Heavy lower composite is an assembly of 3 Falcon 9 first stages (27 engines).

The central core engines as well as the boosters engines are fed from the booster tanks at lift off and during the mission first part. When the boosters tanks are empty the boosters are shut off and jettisonned. The central core then operates on its own tanks which are still full at separation. This operating mode is called « cross feeding ». This concept has been known for a long time but has never been applied. It is probably the reason why the payload given by Space X has grown from 32 t mid 2010 (preceding chart) to 54 t beginning of 2011.

Experience on large multiengines propulsion bays:

- Soyouz: 5 turbopumps and 20 chambers on the first stage; very good reliability- N1 lunar launcher: 30 engine on the first stage; 4 failures on 4 launches- Ariane 4: 8 Viking engines on the first stage; very good reliability- Saturn 1 and 1 B: 8 H1 engines on the first stage; very good reliability but few flights

Space X proposals

• After Falcon 9 Heavy:Space X proposals

Space X foresees the development of 2 new engines: The 600 t Merlin 2 and the 70t LOX/LH2 Raptor. One Merlin 2 replaces the 9 Merlin 1 on the Falcon 9 and in a cluster is the basis for a heavy launcher family Falcon X, Falcon X Heavy and Falcon XX.

Space X future engines

Merlin 2 J-2X

Propellant LOX/RP LOX/LH2

Thrust (vac) [klbf] 1,700 292Isp (vac) [sec] 322 448T/W [lbf/lbm] 150 55

Merlin 2

LOX/RPGG cycle

Raptor

LOX/LH2SC cycle

Angara family

2014 ?

RD 190 LOX/kéro staged combustion 196-212 t thrust engine

Angara familycryo upper stages

Isayev KVD1 RD56M 7.4 t thrust H2/O2 staged combustion engine

Rus M family

First stage and boosters powered by the 150/170 t thrust NK33 LOX/kero engine (N1 lunar rocket)

From 6 to 50 t in LEO

Upper stage powered by four 10 t thrust RD0146 LOX/LH2 engine

Launch from Vostochny

2015 ?

Long March 5 family

Heavy launcher

Chinese heavy and semi heavy launchers

Long March 5

Diameteer 2,25 m1 YF 100 (120t) LOX/kero

Diameter 3,35 m2 YF 100 (120t) LOX/kero

Diameter5 m2 YF 77 (50t) LOX/LH2

Diametrer 5 m2 YF 75D LOX/LH2

Diameter 3,35 m1 YF 75D LOX/LH2

and CZ5-DY with 6 boosters (next chart)

10 to 25 t LEO - 6 to 14t GTO

2015 ?

China

Heavy version of the Long March 5

6 boosters LOX/kero each with 2 YF-100 120 thrust engines

5 m diameter LOX/LH2 central core with 4 YF-77 50 thrust engines

50 t LEO payload

China

Two different versions of the heavy launcherTo the left with LOX/kero boosters (YF-650 engines), LOX/Kero first stage (4x YF-650) and cryo upper stage (2x YF-220)To the right solid propellants boosters , cryo first stage (5 x YF-220) and cryo second stage (1x YF-220)

The Long March 5 et the heavy launcher

Heavy chinese launcher engines

Ground thrust

Vacuum thrust

Ground specific impulseVacuum specific impulseChamber pressure

Mixture ratioOxydiser flowratePropellant flowrateArea ratio

LOX/Kero 700 t engine: staged combustion cycle

LOX/LH 200 t engine: gaz generator cycle

Heavy chinese launcher engines

ChineChinese Moon programme: heavy launcher use

A5 ECAVULCAIN 2

A5 ECBVULCAIN 2(+rallumage)

A5 ECBVULCAIN 2MPS2

A5 ECBVEDAMPS2

A5H620 Ø 8m5 VULCAIN 24 MPS

A5 ECBVULCAIN 23EPC4 MPS1

A5 H620 Ø 8m5 VULCAIN 22 MPS4 SRB (US)

A5 H9205 VULCAIN 22 MPS4 SRB(US)

No launch pad modifications Launch pad modifs

Production facilities modifs

International cooperation

120

100

60

40

80

20

140

LEO payload in tonnes

Increasing modifications

Ariane 5 growth potential for space exploration

European capabilities (1)

A5 ECBVULCAIN 24 MPS1

A5H Ø 9,8m5 VULCAIN 26 MPS

Limit for manned moon or NEO asteroids missions

Limit for human Mars missions

European capabilities (2)Examples of heavy launchers derived

from Ariane 5

For 541C and 543C: production synergy with the basic Ariane 5

European capabilities (3)

Till more than 100 t in LEO

Ariane 5SH

Examples of heavy launchers derived from Ariane 5

A5L4pH6204 EAP80t

A5L6PpH 6202 EAP 4SRB110t

A5L4PpH6202 EAP 2SRB100t

A5L+6PpH7452EAP 4SRB130t

DésignationCentral CoreBoostersLEO payload

A5L++6PpH9202EAP 4SRB140t

Lift off with 4SRB + 5 VulcainEAP ignition at SRB shut off

European capabilities (4)

Example of US Europe cooperation

SRB US

European capabilities (5)Budgetary capabilities

Russie

1 75

2 00

0

• Martian exploration– 3 launches (Mars Direct) to – 7 launches (NASA DRA 5)

• Lunar exploration– 1 launch

• NEO asteroids exploration– 1 to 2 launches

• Defense against NEO asteroids– 1 to x launches

• New geostationary missions (antenna farms, Earth observation more secure than in SSO, solar power stations,…)

Heavy launches may be linked to semi heavy launches for example to launch the crew

Heavy launchers missions examples

Questions around Falcon 9 Heavy

Space X proposals

- What are the budgetary sources for the launcher development?- A 5,2 m diameter fairing is far too small for 50 t payloads. Space X is now presenting versions with a 8 m diameter fairing.- Cross feeding is not so easy to develop (transition for the central core engines from one tank to an other)- The 27 engine configuration enables an « engine out » capability if the monitoring system is very efficient in detecting anomalies before it is too late which may lead to a complicated monitoring system. - In some cases engines present catastrophic failures (fire, explosion) which propagate to the other engines or propulsion bay equipments which cannot be dealt with the engine out capability. This failure mode probability is no more neglectible in a 27 engines configuration. This failure rate may be evaluated at 1 or 2 on 1000 which means 3 to 6 % on a 27 engines configuration to which other failure modes have to be added

The impressive Falcon 9 Heavy 27 engines propulsion bay

Russian heavy and semi heavy launchers

Angara family

• Angara Family Performance Data •

• Descriptions Angara 1.2 (Small-lift) Angara 3 (Medium-lift) Angara А5 (Heavy-lift) Angara А7 (Heavy-lift)

• Lift-off mass,t 171 481 773 1133

• Payload mass (kg)• Parking orbit • ( H circ = 200 km, i = 63 ° ) 3.8 14.6 24.5 35.0• Geotransfer ( i = 25 ° , • H p = 5500 km), • Breeze M/KVSK (com. SC) - 3.6 (w/KVSK) 7.5 (w/KVTK ) 12.5

(w/KVTK-A7) 2.4 (w/Breeze M) 5.4 (w/Breeze M)

• GSO ( H circ = 35,786 km, i = 0°),• Breeze M/KVTK (federal SC) - 2.0 (w/KVSK) 4.6 (w/KVTK) 7.6

(w/KVTK-A7) 1.0 (w/Breeze M) 3.0 (w/Breeze M)

Russian heavy and semi heavy launchersAngara family

Long March 5 - Engines

Version CZ-5-200 CZ-5-320 CZ-5-504 CZ-5-522 CZ-5-540

Boosters -- 2xCZ-5-200, YF-120t

4xCZ-5-300, YF-120t

2xCZ-5-200 2xCZ-5-300, YF-120t

4xCZ-5-200, YF-120t

First stage CZ-5-200, YF-120t CZ-5-300, YF-120t CZ-5-500, 2xYF-50t

CZ-5-500, 2xYF-50t

CZ-5-500, 2xYF-50t

Second stage CZ-YF-73, YF-73 CZ-5-KO, CZ-5-HO, 2xYF-75 CZ-5-HO, 2xYF-75 CZ-5-HO, 2xYF-75

Third stage (not used for LEO) -- CZ-5-HO, YF-75 -- -- --

Thrust (at ground) 134 Mgf (1.34 MN) 720 Mgf (7.2 MN) 1064 Mgf (10.64

MN)824 Mgf (8.24

MN)584 Mgf (5.84

MN)

Launch weight 82 t 420 t 800 t 630 t 470 t

Height (maximal) 33 m 55 m 62 m 58 m 53 m

Payload (LEO 200 km) 1.5 t 10 t 25 t 20 t 10 t

Payload (GTO) -- 6 t 14 t 11 t 6 t

CZ-5-540 :10 engines in the lower stack