Vector-H

Vector-H
Function	Smallsat launcher
Manufacturer	Vector Launch
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	3.5-4.5 Million USD
Size
Height	19.5 m (64 ft)
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Mass	11,910 kg (26,260 lb)
Stages	2/3
Capacity
Payload to LEO	290 kg (640 lb)
Payload to SSO	95 kg (209 lb)[1]
Associated rockets
Family	Vector (rocket family)
Comparable	Electron, Falcon 1, Firefly Alpha, Prime, Miura 5
Launch history
Status	Canceled
Launch sites	Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (planned); Spaceport Camden (planned); Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 46 (planned)
First stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Engines	6 x LP-1
Thrust	39,336 lbf (174,980 N)
Fuel	Propylene / LOX
Second stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Engines	1 X LP-3
Thrust	1,135 lbf (5,050 N)
Fuel	Propylene / LOX
Third stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Fuel	Solid fuel

Vector-H (Vector Heavy)[1] was a planned two-stage or three-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle in development by the American aerospace company Vector Launch to cover the commercial small satellite launch segment (CubeSats). It was planned to be an expanded version of the Vector-R rocket, more than doubling the payload capacity. After Vector Launch ceased operations in December 2019, the future development of the rocket is unofficially canceled.

Design

Vector-H would have used two stages, both 1.2 m in diameter, filled with Propylene/LOX propellant. The main body of the rocket was planned to be constructed using a lightweight carbon composite material.

The launch vehicle's first stage would have been powered by six LP-1 LOX/propylene engines, delivering 81,000 newtons of force. The second stage would have been powered by one LP-3 LOX/propylene engine, delivering 4,400 newtons of force. The engines used a 3D-printed engine injector, designed with help from NASA's Science, Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD) Flight Opportunities program. This allows the injector to be produced as a single piece of hardware, instead of as individual components. The vehicle was also planned to include an optional third stage powered by a solid rocket motor. This would have allowed the upper stage to boost micro satellites into a higher orbit.[1]

Vector-HE1

The Vector-HE1 planned variant was to have the same body as the standard Vector-H but include an electric powered third stage.[2]

Intended usage

Vector-H was designed to launch a 95 kg (210 lb) payload to a 450 km (280 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit, suitable for CubeSats and other small payloads. The cost would have been less than US$5 million, a price point that the company hoped will allow it to attract one hundred launches per year. Customers could have choose to encapsulate their spacecraft in payload fairings provided by the company, which could be easily attached to the rocket shortly before launch, in several different configurations, such as fitting CubeSats dispensers or multiple satellites in a single fairing.

Vector would have used on-site payload integration for the early launches. However it expected to be able to integrate payloads at their Arizona and California Payload Facilities and ship them to their launch sites.

Launch sites

Mojave Spaceport

Vector Space planned to use the LC-46 launch site in Florida, Spaceport Camden, and Pacific Spaceport Complex[1]. Additionally Vector Space investigated adding more minimal infrastructure launch pads either located on land in the US, or to launch the rocket from barges on the ocean.[3]

References

"Vector". Space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 2018-12-16.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[2] "Vector". Space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 2018-12-16.

Orbital launch systems developed in the United States
Active	Antares 230+ Atlas V Delta IV Heavy Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Minotaur I IV V C Pegasus
In development	Astra Firefly Alpha Beta LauncherOne New Glenn OmegA SLS Starship Terran 1 Vulcan
Retired	Antares 110/120/130/230 Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" H-I* Juno I Juno II N-I* N-II* Pilot Saturn I IB V Scout Space Shuttle SPARK Sparta Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Vanguard
* - Japanese projects using US rockets or stages

Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara A5 Antares 230+ Ariane 5 Atlas V Delta IV Heavy Electron Epsilon Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy GSLV Mk II Mk III H-IIA Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A Kaituozhe 2 LauncherOne^† Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 7 7A^† 11 Minotaur I IV V C OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qased Safir Shavit Simorgh^† Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v Unha Vega Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque-1^†
In development	Angara 1.2 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Eris Firefly Alpha Beta H3 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 11 21 31 Long March 8 9 Miura 5 New Glenn New Line 1 Nuri OmegA OS-M2 OS-M4 Orbex Prime SLS Soyuz-7 SSLV Starship Terran 1 Vega C Vega E Vulcan Zero Zhuque-2
Retired	Al-Abid^† Antares 110/120/130/230 Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Diamant Dnepr Energia Europa^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M Lambda 4S Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Saturn I IB V Scout SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon 2 3 4 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates historical or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but did not ever succeed (never did or has performed a successful orbital launch)