Cost-Effective Launch System for Competitive Near-Term Return on Investment
V. Coverstone-Carroll,* M. Biggs
University of Illinois; NASA Langley Research Center, NGT 1-52104

Current space launch costs are a minimum of $6000 per pound. Several launcher designs have been proposed to reduce costs, but have all failed because of high development costs. A modular, solid-propulsion-based launch vehicle family is designed and assessed that will reduce launch costs significantly, achieve a competitive near-term return on investment, and support a broad range of unmanned payloads. The results will identify a family, its development time, financial requirements, per-launch costs, life cycle cost, and return on investment. Operation, procedural, and contracting reforms will also be outlined. The system will be compared to existing expendable launch systems and advanced designs.

A space-based rendezvous transfer vehicle offers numerous advantages over more traditional space delivery systems. This study outlines these advantages and then conducts a market analysis to ascertain the commercial potential for operating such a vehicle. Both chemical and low-thrust propulsion systems are considered.

Electric power from space was investigated in the 1970s on a grand scale. A price-tag in the trillions of dollars tabled the idea. Since then, feasibility studies have been put forward, but a systematic approach to acquiring actual engineering data and hardware development has been lacking. A phased approach is developed in which funding is graduated from milestone to milestone as probability of project success increases. An aggregate microsatellite approach to measuring ground-to-orbit transmission efficiencies is being designed.

A comprehensive space systems analysis tool is developed. It is characterized by a multiuser interface enabling parallel analysis among subsystem designers. The evolving design, input via textual templates, is rendered and updated in real time. Database-drive selection routines permit inclusion of flight hardware. Component data are fed into costing and reliability models to produce a complete system-level analysis. Development of CAD depictions into structural and heat transfer models is investigated. Parallel inter- faces are examined to correct processing delays. Costing and reliability models are studied to determine model applicability.