Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
A super heavy-lift launch vehicle (SHLLV) is a launch vehicle capable of lifting more than 50,000 kg (110,000 lb) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO).[1][2]
Successful vehicles
Three vehicles have successfully launched super heavy lift payloads:
- Saturn V, with an Apollo program payload of a Command Module, Service Module, and Lunar Module. The three had a total mass of 45,000 kg (99,000 lb).[3][4] When the third stage and earth-orbit departure fuel was included, Saturn V actually placed 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) into low earth orbit.[5]
- The Space Shuttle orbited a combined 122,534 kg (270,142 lb) when launching the Chandra X-ray Observatory on STS-93.[6][7]
- Energia, with a one-time payload of an unmanned Buran orbiter at 62,000 kg (137,000 lb).[8]
The Space Shuttle and Energia-Buran orbiter differed in that both launched what was essentially a reusable, manned third stage that carried cargo internally. Though a cargo version of Shuttle was proposed, it was never built. A cargo version of Energia was developed and launched, however the Polyus module it carried failed to achieve orbit. Similarly, four Soviet N1 rockets launched with a payload capacity of 95,000 kg (209,000 lb), but all four failed shortly after lift-off (1969-1972).[9]
In development
These rockets are currently undergoing active development:
- SpaceX Falcon Heavy in a fully expendable configuration,[lower-alpha 1] 63,800 kg (140,700 lb)[10]
- Space Launch System (SLS), 130,000 kg (290,000 lb)[11]
- Blue Origin New Glenn. Though payload capacity has not been officially announced, the 45,000 kg (99,000 lb) payload for the two-stage variant[12] and thrust levels for the first stage suggest placement of the vehicle in the super-heavy lift class.[13]
- SpaceX ITS launch vehicle, 550,000 kg (1,200,000 lb) (expendable) or 300,000 kg (660,000 lb) (reusable)[14]
Proposed designs
The 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) class Long March 9 has been proposed by China and is in early stages of development.[15] It has a planned capacity of 50 tonnes to lunar transfer orbit and is expected to have its first flight by 2030.[16]
In August 2016, Russia's RSC Energia announced plans to develop a super heavy-lift launch vehicle using existing components instead of pushing the less-powerful Angara A5V project.[17][18] This would allow Russia to launch missions towards establishing a permanent Moon base with simpler logistics, launching just one or two 80-to-160-ton super-heavy rockets instead of four 40-ton Angara A5Vs implying quick-sequence launches and multiple in-orbit rendezvous.[17]
Cancelled proposals
Numerous super-heavy lift vehicles have been proposed and received various levels of development prior to their cancellation. Perhaps furthest along was the U.S. Ares V for the Constellation program. This was designed to carry 188,000 kg (414,000 lb) and was cancelled in 2010, though much of the work has been carried forward into the SLS program.
A 1962 design proposal, Sea Dragon, called for an enormous 150 m (490 ft) tall, sea-launched rocket capable of lifting 550,000 kg (1,210,000 lb) to low-Earth orbit. While the design was validated by TRW, the design never moved forward due to the closing of NASA's Future Projects Branch.[19][20]
See also
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
- Sounding rocket, suborbital launch vehicle
- Small-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) to low-Earth orbit
- Medium-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,000 lb) of payload into low-Earth orbit
- Heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting 20,000 to 50,000 kg (44,000 to 110,000 lb) of payload into low-Earth orbit
Notes
- ↑ A partially reusable configuration is classified as a heavy-lift launch vehicle since payload to LEO is under 50,000 kg
References
- ↑ McConnaughey, Paul K.; et al. (November 2010). "Draft Launch Propulsion Systems Roadmap: Technology Area 01" (PDF). NASA. Section 1.3.
Small: 0–2 t payloads; Medium: 2–20 t payloads; Heavy: 20–50 t payloads; Super Heavy: > 50 t payloads
- ↑ "Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation" (PDF). Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee. NASA. October 2009. p. 64-66.
...the U.S. human spaceflight program will require a heavy-lift launcher ... in the range of 25 to 40 mt ... this strongly favors a minimum heavy-lift capacity of roughly 50 mt....
- ↑ "Apollo 11 Lunar Module". NASA.
- ↑ "Apollo 11 Command and Service Module (CSM)". NASA.
- ↑ Alternatives for Future U.S. Space-Launch Capabilities (PDF), The Congress of the United States. Congressional Budget Office, October 2006, pp. X,1, 4, 9
- ↑ "Heaviest payload launched - shuttle". Guinness World Records.
- ↑ "STS-93". Shuttlepresskit.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2000.
- ↑ Gregersen, Erik (2010). Unmanned Space Missions (1st ed.). New York: Britannica Educational. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-61530-018-1.
- ↑ "N1 Moon Rocket". Russianspaceweb.com.
- ↑ "Falcon Heavy". SpaceX. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ↑ Wall, Mike (29 July 2015). "NASA's Next Megarocket Could Launch Mission to Europa". Space.com.
- ↑ "Eutelsat first customer for Blue Origin’s New Glenn". 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ↑ Leahy, Bart (12 September 2016). "Blue Origin reveals New Glenn launch vehicle plans". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ↑ "Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species" (PDF). SpaceX. 27 September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2016.
- ↑ Covault, Craig (18 July 2012). "First Look: China's Big New Rockets". AmericaSpace.
- ↑ http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_achieves_key_breakthrough_in_multiple_launch_vehicles_999.html
- 1 2 "Russia’s A5V moon mission rocket may be replaced with new super-heavy-lift vehicle". RT.com. 22 August 2016.
Energia and Roscosmos are “working on a super heavy-lift launch vehicle (SHLLV) that would use an engine that we already have, the RD-171,” Vladimir Solntsev told Izvestia newspaper. [...] The proposed new SHLLV would initially have a LEO lift of 80 tons with a potential to increase the figure to 120 tons or even 160 tons, according to Solntsev.
- ↑ "«Роскосмос» создаст новую сверхтяжелую ракету". Izvestia (in Russian). 22 August 2016.
- ↑ Grossman, David (3 April 2017). "The Enormous Sea-Launched Rocket That Never Flew". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ↑ “Study of Large Sea-Launch Space Vehicle,” Contract NAS8-2599, Space Technology Laboratories, Inc./Aerojet General Corporation Report #8659-6058-RU-000, Vol. 1 – Design, January 1963
Further reading
- Mallove, Eugene F.; Matloff, Gregory L. (1989). The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-61912-4.