[2 / 0 / ?]
Quoted By:
From wikipedia: "
Space Systems/Loral's Aquarius Launch Vehicle is a low-cost launch vehicle designed to carry small, inexpensive payoads into LEO. The vehicle will be primarily intended to launch into orbit bulk products, like water, fuel, and other consumables, that are inexpensive to replace in the event of a launch failure. The target launch cost is $1 million. As currently designed, Aquarius will be a single-stage vehicle 43 meters (141 feet) high and 4 meters (13.1 feet) in diameter and powered by a single engine using liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants. The vehicle is floated in the ocean prior to launch to minimize launch infrastructure and will be able to place a 1,000-kilogram (2,200-pound) payload into a 200-kilometer (125-mile), 52-degree orbit. The payload, located in the base of the vehicle, will be extracted by an orbiting space tug for transfer to its ultimate destination, after which the vehicle will de-orbit and be destroyed"
I think it's a long time coming. Imagine spending millions to launch a payload only worth a few thousand dollars. Launch the expensive stuff on a more reliable launch system and the cheap stuff on the cheap launch system.
Video about Aquarius
part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEHawjnn4Ak
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Mko5sC5yM
Space Systems/Loral's Aquarius Launch Vehicle is a low-cost launch vehicle designed to carry small, inexpensive payoads into LEO. The vehicle will be primarily intended to launch into orbit bulk products, like water, fuel, and other consumables, that are inexpensive to replace in the event of a launch failure. The target launch cost is $1 million. As currently designed, Aquarius will be a single-stage vehicle 43 meters (141 feet) high and 4 meters (13.1 feet) in diameter and powered by a single engine using liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants. The vehicle is floated in the ocean prior to launch to minimize launch infrastructure and will be able to place a 1,000-kilogram (2,200-pound) payload into a 200-kilometer (125-mile), 52-degree orbit. The payload, located in the base of the vehicle, will be extracted by an orbiting space tug for transfer to its ultimate destination, after which the vehicle will de-orbit and be destroyed"
I think it's a long time coming. Imagine spending millions to launch a payload only worth a few thousand dollars. Launch the expensive stuff on a more reliable launch system and the cheap stuff on the cheap launch system.
Video about Aquarius
part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEHawjnn4Ak
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Mko5sC5yM
