Thor-Burner
Function | Expendable launch system |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Douglas |
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 23 m (75 ft) |
Diameter | 2.44 m (8 ft) |
Mass | 50,000 kg (110,000 lb) |
Stages | 2-3 |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Vandenberg AFB,LC-4300,LE-6,SLC-10W |
Total launches | 26 |
Success(es) | 23 |
Failure(s) | 3 |
First flight | 19 Jan 1965 |
Last flight | 19 February 1976 |
TheThor-Burnerwas an Americanexpendable launch system,a member of theThor rocket family.[1][2]It consisted of aThor missile,with one or twoBurnerupper stages.[1][2]It was used between 1965 and 1976 to orbit a number of satellites, most commonlyDefense Meteorological Satellite Program(DMSP) weather satellites.[3]Twenty-four were launched, of which two failed. It weighed 51,810 kg and was 24 metres tall.
Variants[edit]
There are many Thor-Burner variations, according to the type of upper stages used:[4]
Name | 1st stage | 2nd stage | 3rd stage |
---|---|---|---|
Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (MG-18) | DSV-2S | MG-18 | - |
Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3) | DSV-2S | Altair-3/ FW-4S | - |
Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | DSV-2U | Burner-2/Star-37B | - |
Thor-LV2F Burner-2 Star-13A | DSV-2U | Burner-2 / Star-37B | Star-13A |
Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | DSV-2U | Burner-2A #1 / Star-37B | Burner-2A #2 / Star-26B |
Burner-1, MG-18 and Altair[edit]
The first two flights used a solid fuel MG-18 as second stage. After than anAltairrocket stage (same as the third stage of someVanguardlaunch vehicles) was used, equipped byBoeingwith 3-axis control.[5][1]
These combinations were used for six vehicles.[1]The first was launched 1965-01-18 and the sixth 1966-03-30. These were early launches of classified DMSP satellites. Two of these launches failed.[6][1]
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Thor-LV2D Burner-1 ( MG-18)
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Thor-LV2D Burner-1 ( MG-18)
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Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3)
Burner-2[edit]
The Burner 2 used with the Thor-Burner was the first solid fuel upper-stage vehicle used for general space applications that had full control and guidance capability.[1][7][8][9][10]The first Burner-2 flight was on 1966-09-16.[11][1][7]
On February 19, 1976, the attempted launch of a DMSP satellite fromVandenberg's SLC-10Wwent awry when SECO occurred 5 seconds early.[12]Although the second stage separated and fired properly, the satellite was left in an unusable orbit from which it decayed only one hour after launch. Investigation into the mishap found that the Thor had been loaded an insufficient amount of RJ-1 (a higher grade of kerosene fuel that offered enhanced performance over standardRP-1) for the mission. The amount ofLOXon Thor boosters was always the same on every launch, but the amount of kerosene could vary depending on the engine, as differentLR-79engines had slightly different performance levels, and so factory acceptance data was used to determine the fuel load needed for a particular unit. The particular engine used in Thor 182 had thus been loaded with kerosene according to the data sheet provided byRocketdyne,however the information contained a typo which led to ground crews loading too little propellant for it. However, the postflight investigation also found that, even if the correct propellant load had been carried, the mission would have still failed because the Thor did not have sufficient performance to loft the DMSP into the required orbit. As the DMSP program evolved, the satellites gradually became heavier and more complex. Program planners, aware of this, selected an LR-79 engine which had particularly high performance, but it still turned out to not be enough for the mission. The failure was thus ultimately attributed to poor mission planning.[13]
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Thor-LV2F Burner-2
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Thor-LV2F Burner-2
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Thor-LV2F Burner-2
Launches[edit]
There were twenty six Thor-Burner launches fromVandenberg AFB:[4]
Date | Serial | Variant | Site | Payload |
---|---|---|---|---|
19.01.1965 | 224 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (MG-18) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-1 F10 (Stage 2 failed to separate from satellite) |
18.03.1965 | 306 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (MG-18) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-1 F11 |
20.05.1965 | 282 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-3 F1 |
10.09.1965 | 213 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-2 F1 |
06.01.1966 | 251 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-2 F2 (Stage 2 failed) |
31.03.1966 | 147 | Thor-LV2D Burner-1 (Altair-3) | 4300-B6 | DSAP-2 F3 |
16.09.1966 | 167 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | 4300-B6 | DSAP-4A F1 |
08.02.1967 | 169 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | 4300-B6 | DSAP-4A F2 |
29.06.1967 | 171 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 Star-13A | LE-6 | Aurora (P67-1) / SECOR 9 (EGRS 9) |
23.08.1967 | 266 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | LE-6 | DSAP-4A F3 |
11.10.1967 | 268 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | LE-6 | DSAP-4A F4 |
23.05.1968 | 277 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-4B F1 |
23.10.1968 | 173 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-4B F2 |
23.07.1969 | 279 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-4B F3 |
11.02.1970 | 287 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-5A F1 |
03.09.1970 | 288 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-5A F2 |
17.02.1971 | 249 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | DSAP-5A F3 / NRL-PL 170A / NRL-PL 170B / NRL-PL 170C (S70-4) |
08.06.1971 | 210 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2 | SLC-10W | SESP 1 (P70-1) |
14.10.1971 | 159 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DSAP-5B F1 |
24.03.1972 | 153 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DSAP-5B F2 |
09.11.1972 | 294 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DSAP-5B F3 |
17.08.1973 | 291 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DSAP-5B F4 |
16.03.1974 | 207 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DMSP-5B F5 |
09.08.1974 | 275 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DMSP-5C F1 |
24.05.1975 | 197 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DMSP-5C F2 |
19.02.1976 | 182 | Thor-LV2F Burner-2A | SLC-10W | DMSP-5C F3 (Thor failed, wrong orbit attained) |
References[edit]
- ^abcdefg"Thor with solid-fuel upper stage".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^ab"Thor Burner".astronautix.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"Thor Burner 1".astronautix.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^ab"Thor with solid-fuel upper stage".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved2023-11-30.
- ^"Thor with a solid fuel top stage".The Satellite Encyclopedia.
- ^"Douglas SLV-2 Thor / Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) SB-3 Delta".Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles.
- ^ab"Thor-LV2F Burner-2".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"Thor-LV2F Burner-2 Star-13A".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"Thor-LV2F Burner-2A".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"Thor Burner 2".astronautix.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"History - Jets and Moon Rockets: 1957-1970 - The Boeing Company... Booster Rockets".Boeing. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-11.
- ^"Thor Burner 2A".astronautix.Retrieved2023-11-29.
- ^"The Space Review: Launch failures: Two Thors, one problem".