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At the Space Launch Corporation, our mission is to make dedicated, responsive, low cost access to space a reality for the operators of micro satellites. Developing space transportation for these customers is our primary focus.

To achieve this goal, the company has generated a business strategy that takes into account the primary factors that will affect a company's level of success in the space launch industry. Some of these include:

 

• The financial community's level of perceived risk towards space business ventures
• The industry's significant capital requirements
• The state of existing aerospace technology and opportunities for future development
• The broad nature of existing and future space industry markets

 

The company's development strategy reduces technical and financial risk while utilizing small, focused, multidisciplinary teams. This approach will enable the management team to achieve the company's goals while maintaining an entrepreneurial culture.

At the Space Launch Corporation, we are dedicated to identifying and solving those problems which are of paramount importance to operators and manufacturers of small and university-class payloads. We have identified the unique needs that exist within this market niche and how to provide the kinds of solutions that this segment has long deserved.

Toward this end, the company is currently developing a low cost, dedicated launch system for micro satellites and other small payloads. Current launch options for micro satellites include riding as secondary payloads or multiple manifesting on larger launch vehicles. These options do not allow the operators of individual satellites to choose their launch window or destination. Our service will allow the satellite operator to select the launch date and the orbital destination to suit their specific mission requirements.

The backbone of the company's dedicated service will be the SLC-1 launch system. This system is comprised of two major subsystems - the launch platform (carrier aircraft) and an air-launched booster. The launch platform is a standard jet aircraft suitably modified to carry and deploy the booster vehicle. The booster itself is a small expendable launch vehicle utilizing multiple solid-motor stages.

Turnkey, dedicated, and affordable: the Space Launch Corporation is working to become a leader in the micro satellite launch industry.

In March 2002, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began the Rapid Access Small Cargo Affordable Launch (RASCAL) program. DARPA established the goal of creating a launch system capable of responsively and routinely placing small payloads into orbit at significantly reduced cost. In that same month, DARPA selected six teams to conduct RASCAL system studies. This first phase was nine months long and ended with a single contract award to The Space Launch Corporation for Phase II.

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Phase II was an 18-month design phase that advanced the design of the RASCAL system and allow for risk reduction testing. Although Phase II culminated in a very successful preliminary Design Review (PDR) DARPA decided not to proceed to Phase III.

The RASCAL system was designed to be a highly responsive, economical launch system capable of placing a 150 kg payload into low-Earth-orbit for $10,000 / kg. The RASCAL system consisted of a reusable aircraft as the launch platform and a two-stage expendable rocket vehicle (ERV) for accelerating a payload to orbital velocity. A significant feature of the RASCAL aircraft was the ability for exo-atmospheric flight (flight outside of the Earth's atmosphere). As a result of this ability, the satellite payload and rocket vehicle could be released from the RASCAL aircraft at an altitude where aerodynamic forces are negligible.

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In order to fly outside the atmosphere, the RASCAL aircraft planned to utilize standard military jet engines with a 'bolt-on' modification known as Mass Injection Pre-Compressor Cooling, or MIPCC ( See Blow ). MIPCC would allow the RASCAL aircraft to operate at higher velocities and altitudes (greater than 200,000 ft) than an aircraft with just standard jet engines. As MIPCC was considered an enabling technology for RASCAL, the RASCAL aircraft was referred to as the MIPCC Powered Vehicle, or MPV.

To reach altitudes in excess of 200,000 ft, the RASCAL MPV would perform a 'zoom maneuver'. In this maneuver, the MPV would accelerate to a high velocity while still in the atmosphere (less than 50,000 ft) and then begin a steep climb. Using MIPCC, the MPV would continue to accelerate while climbing until the engines were shut down at around 100,000 ft. Even with the engines shut down the MPV would continue to climb due to momentum and eventually would coast to an altitude of 200,000 ft.

Evaporative cooling of the incoming airflow extends the operational flight envelope in several ways. Increased Thrust Lower incoming temperature - increasing flow density enter the engine. Increased Mach number operation Lower incoming temperature - allows operation without exceeding material limits Extended altitude operation Sustained oxidizer flow in rarefied atmosphere.   MIPCC is a bolt on addition, not a modification to an engine or a new engine cycle.

Once the MPV reaches an altitude of 200,000, where atmospheric forces are negligible, the ERV is released from within the MPV. After the ERV is released, the first stage of the ERV ignites and carries the payload to orbit.

 

• Performance to LEO (expected):
• 400 lbs to 270 nm, 28.5° inclination
• Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis
• 250 lbs to 270 nm, 97.1° inclination

 

MIPCC Powered Vehicle (MPV)

• New aircraft design
• 81 ft span, 89 ft length, 2700 ft2 wing area
• 90,000 lb GTOW
• 4 F100-class engines with LOX/Water MIPCC

 

RASCAL Phase II

Expendable Rocket Vehicle (ERV)

• 2 stage Vehicle, 16,000 lbs at release
• 1st Stage: Hybrid Rocket Motor
• 2nd Stage: Solid Rocket Motor
• Payload volume: 10 ft length, 6 ft diameter

 

 

 

 

Essential Space Launch Definitions

Apogee
The point in orbit where a body is farthest from Earth

Bi-propellant
A rocket propellant consisting of two unmixed or uncombined chemicals (fuel and oxidizer) fed separately into the combustion chamber

Cryogenic
A rocket fuel or oxidizer which is liquid only at very low temperatures, e.g. liquid hydrogen which has a boiling point of -217.2oC (-423oF)

DARPA
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DOD
Department of Defense

Earth
Third planet from the Sun, a terrestrial planet.

ERV
Expendable Rocket Vehicle

Geostationary Orbit
A circular orbit in which a satellite moves from west to east at such velocity as to remain fixed above a particular point on the equator. Also called geosynchronous.

H2O2
Hydrogen Peroxide

Hohmann transfer orbit
A fuel efficient way to transfer from one circular orbit to another circular orbit that is in the same plane (same inclination), but a different altitude

LEO
Low Earth Orbit

Mach
The ratio of the speed of a vehicle (or of a liquid or gas) to the local speed of sound

MPV
MIPCC Powered Vehicle

MIPCC
Mass Injector Pre-Compressor Cooling

Microgravity
An environment of very weak gravitational forces, such as those within an orbiting spacecraft. Microgravity conditions in space stations may allow experiments or manufacturing processes that are not possible on Earth

Mono-propellant
A rocket propellant consisting of a single substance, especially a liquid containing both fuel and oxidizer, either combined or mixed together

Orbit
The path of an object that is moving around a second object or point

Nautical Mile
The distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude, defined internationally as 1,852 meters (6,076.1033 feet)

Orbital Velocity
The velocity necessary to overcome the gravitational attraction of the Earth and so keep a satellite in orbit, about 17,450 mph (28,080 km/hr) close to the Earth

Oxidizer
An agent that releases oxygen for combination with another substance, creating combustion and gas for propulsion. Alternatively oxidants

Payload
Revenue-producing or useful cargo carried by a spacecraft; also, anything carried in a rocket or spacecraft that is not part of the structure, propellant, or guidance systems

Perigee
The point in a terrestrial orbit which is nearest to the Earth

RASCAL
Responsive Access Small Cargo Affordable Launch

Sun Synchronous Orbit
A walking orbit whose orbital plan processes with the same period as the planet's solar orbital period. In such an orbit, a satellite crosses praises at about the same local time every orbit

Troposphere
The lower regions of a planetary atmosphere where convection keeps the gas mixed and maintains a steady increase of temperature with depth. Most clouds are in the troposphere

 

 

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RASCAL

Responsive Access, Small Cargo, & Affordable Launch

It started out about 01 Nov 01 with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) soliciting industry for proposals on building a low cost satellite launcher with off the shelf equipment. (Click here for mission profile). Destiny Aerospace was encouraged by DARPA to submit a proposal utilizing the F-106, which president Tony Materna of Destiny Aerospace did in Feb 02. However, in March 02, the selection committee at DARPA turned down the F-106 proposal. Alternative methods were investigated through-out 2002 and early 2003 to involve the F-106 with at least the engine mass injection flying phase, which never successfully materialized.

So, the F-106 RASCAL Program literally never got off the ground after almost two years of investigating ways to involve the F-106, much to the disapointment of the team of scientists and engineers assembled for this project. The small fleet of  seven flyable F-106s available at Davis Monthan AFB AZ has now been reduced to four flyables when three F-106s were released for museum displays at Castle, Hill & Edwards.

Having been involved with this project from nearly the beginning, I was allowed to construct a website detailing the program and was ready to link it up to my F-106 Survivor website, pending contract award. Since Destiny Aerospace wasn't selected, we elected to delete the website in March 2002. Now, with the passing of time, we have decided to reconstruct part of the F-106 RASCAL website to let the F-106 community know "What Almost Was".   Erv - 01 Sept 2003

 

Photo 17 Jan 2002 of Tony Materna, President of Destiny Aerospace. Photo at Davis Monthan AFB AZ by Joe Sylvia.