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Vulcan Centaur

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the American Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle by ULA. Not to be confused with the RussianVulkan-Herculesconcept launch vehicle or the EuropeanVulcainrocket engine. For other uses, seeVulcan (disambiguation).

Vulcan Centaur
Vulcan Centaur in VC2S configuration ahead of its maiden flight
FunctionHeavy-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerUnited Launch Alliance
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchAbout US$100–200 million[1][2]
Size
Height61.6–67.3 m (202–221 ft)[3]
Diameter5.4 m (18 ft)[4]
Mass546,700 kg (1,205,300 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload toLEO(28.7°)
Mass27,200 kg (60,000 lb)[5]
Payload toGTO(27.0°)
Mass15,300 kg (33,700 lb)[5]
Payload toGEO
Mass7,000 kg (15,000 lb)[5]
Payload toTLI
Mass12,100 kg (26,700 lb)[5]
Launch history
StatusOperational
Launch sites
Total launches1
Success(es)1
First flight8 January 2024[7]
Boosters –GEM-63XL
No. boosters0, 2, 4, or 6[8]
Height22.0 m (865 in)
Diameter1.62 m (63.7 in)
Empty mass4,521 kg (9,966 lb)
Gross mass53,030 kg (116,920 lb)
Propellant mass47,853 kg (105,497 lb)
Maximum thrust2,044 kN (460,000 lbf) each
Total thrust
  • 2:4,088 kN (919,000 lbf)
  • 4:8,176 kN (1,838,000 lbf)
  • 6:12,264 kN (2,757,000 lbf)
Specific impulse280.3 s (2.749 km/s)
Burn time87.3 seconds
PropellantAP/HTPB/Al
First stage – Vulcan
Height33.3 m (109 ft)
Diameter5.4 m (18 ft)
Powered by2 ×BE-4
Maximum thrust4,900kN(1,100,000 lbf)
Burn time299 seconds[9][10]
PropellantCH4/LOX
Second stage –Centaur V
Height11.7 m (38 ft)
Diameter5.4 m (18 ft)
Powered by2 ×RL10[11]
Maximum thrust212 kN (48,000 lbf)[12]
Specific impulse453.8 s (4.450 km/s)[12]
PropellantLH2/LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

Vulcan Centauris aheavy-lift launch vehiclecreated and operated byUnited Launch Alliance(ULA). It is atwo-stage-to-orbitlaunch vehicle consisting of the Vulcan first stage and theCentaursecond stage. It replaces ULA'sAtlas VandDelta IVrockets. It is principally designed for theNational Security Space Launch(NSSL) program, which launches satellites for U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department, but will also be used for commercial launches.

ULA began developing the Vulcan rocket in 2014, largely to compete withSpaceX's cheaper,partially reusable rocketsand to comply with a Congressional requirement to stop using the Russian-madeRD-180engine that powers the Atlas V. The first flight of the Vulcan Centaur was initially slated for 2019, but was delayed multiple times by developmental problems with itsBE-4engine and the Centaur upper stage.[13]Vulcan Centaur launched for the first time on 8 January 2024 carryingAstrobotic Technology'sPeregrinelunar lander,the first mission of NASA'sCommercial Lunar Payload Services(CLPS) program.[14]

Description[edit]

The Vulcan Centaur uses technologies from ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles, plus newer gear for better performance and lower costs. The Vulcan first stage is similar in size as the Delta family'sCommon Booster Core,allowing ULA to reuse manufacturing equipment.

It uses twoBE-4engines built byBlue Originthat burnliquid oxygenandliquid methane(liquefied natural gas).[15][16]Methane burns cleaner than thekeroseneused on Atlas, spewing less particle pollution and making it more suitable for engine reuse. Compared to theliquid hydrogenused on Delta, it is denser and has a greater temperature range, allowing fuel tanks to be smaller and lighter.[17][18]

The second stage is theCentaur V,a larger and improved version of the Centaur III used on the Atlas, which is powered by twoRL10engines built byAerojet Rocketdyne,fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.[19]The first stage can be supplemented by up to sixGEM 63XLsolid rocket boosters built byNorthrop Grumman.[8][20]

Vulcan Centaur offers heavy-lift capabilities in the footprint of a medium-lift launch vehicle. With a single core and six GEM boosters, the Vulcan Centaur can lift 27,200 kilograms (60,000 lb) tolow Earth orbit(LEO).[21]That is much more than the 18,850 kg (41,560 lb) that the Atlas V could lift to LEO with a single core and five GEM boosters,[22]and nearly as much as the three-core Delta IV Heavy which could lift 28,790 kg (63,470 lb) to LEO.[23]

Vulcan has been designed to meet the requirements of theNational Security Space Launchprogram and is designed to achievehuman-rating certificationto allow the launch of a vehicle such as theBoeing StarlinerorSierra Nevada Dream Chaser.[19][24][3]

History[edit]

Background[edit]

ULA decided to develop the Vulcan Centaur in 2014 for two main reasons. First, its commercial and civil customers were flocking toSpaceX's cheaperFalcon 9reusable launch vehicle,leaving ULA increasingly reliant on U.S. military and spy agency contracts.[25][26]Second,Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014heightened Congressional discomfort with the Pentagon's reliance on the Atlas V, which used the made-in-RussiaRD-180engine. In 2016, Congress would pass a law barring the military from procuring launch services based on the RD-180 engine after 2022.[27]

In September 2014, ULA announced that it had picked theBE-4engine fromBlue Originand fueled byliquid oxygen(LOX) andliquid methane(CH4) to replace the RD-180 on a new first-stage booster. The engine was already in its third year of development, and ULA said it expected the new stage and engine to start flying as soon as 2019.[28]Two of the 2,400-kilonewton(550,000lbf)-thrust BE-4 engines were to be used on a new launch vehicle booster.[29][30][28]

A month later, ULA restructured company processes and its workforce to reduce costs. The company said that the successor to Atlas V would blend existing Atlas V and Delta IV with a goal of halving the cost of the Atlas V rocket.[26]

Announcement[edit]

In 2015, ULA announced the Vulcan rocket and a proposing to incrementally replace existing vehicles with it.[31]Vulcan deployment was expected to begin with a new first stage that was based on the Delta IV's fuselage diameter and production process, and initially expected to use two BE-4 engines or theAR1as an alternative. The second stage was to be the existing Centaur III, already used on Atlas V. A later upgrade, theAdvanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage(ACES), was planned to be introduced a few years after Vulcan's first flight.[31]ULA also revealed a design concept for reuse of the Vulcan booster engines, thrust structure and first stage avionics, which could be detached as a module from the propellant tanks afterbooster engine cutoff;the module wouldre-enter the atmospherebehind an inflatable heat shield.[32]

Funding[edit]

Through the first several years, the ULA board of directors made quarterly funding commitments to Vulcan Centaur development.[33]As of October 2018,the US government had committed about $1.2 billion in apublic–private partnershipto Vulcan Centaur development, with plans for more once ULA concluded aNational Security Space Launchcontract.[34]

By March 2016, theUnited States Air Force(USAF) had committed up to $202 million for Vulcan development. ULA had not yet estimated the total cost of development but CEOTory Brunosaid that "new rockets typically cost $2 billion, including $1 billion for the main engine".[33]In March 2018, Bruno said the Vulcan-Centaur had been "75% privately funded" up to that point.[quantify][35]In October 2018, following a request for proposals and technical evaluation, ULA was awarded $967 million to develop a prototype Vulcan launch system as part of the National Security Space Launch program.[34]

Development, production, and testing[edit]

In September 2015, it was announced BE-4 rocket engine production would be expanded to allow more testing.[36]The following January, ULA was designing two versions of the Vulcan first stage; the BE-4 version has a 5.4 m (18 ft) diameter to support the use of the less dense methane fuel.[16]In late 2017, the upper stage was changed to the larger and heavier Centaur V, and the launch vehicle was renamed Vulcan Centaur.[35]In May 2018, ULA announced the selection ofAerojet Rocketdyne's RL10 engine for the Vulcan Centaur upper stage.[37]That September, ULA announced the selection of the Blue Origin BE-4 engine for Vulcan's first stage.[38][39]In October, the USAF released an NSSL launch service agreement with new requirements, delaying Vulcan's initial launch to April 2021, after an earlier postponement to 2020.[40][41][42]

In August 2019, the parts of Vulcan'smobile launcher platform(MLP) were transported[43]to theSpaceflight Processing Operations Center(SPOC) nearSLC-40andSLC-41,Cape Canaveral,Florida.The MLP was fabricated in eight sections and moves at 3 mph (4.8 km/h) on rail bogies, standing 183 ft (56 m) tall.[44]In February 2021, ULA shipped the first completed Vulcan core booster to Florida for pathfinder tests ahead of the Vulcan's debut launch.[45]Testing continued proceeded with the pathfinder booster throughout that year.[46][47]

In August 2019, ULA said Vulcan Centaur would first fly in early 2021, carryingAstrobotic Technology'sPeregrinelunar lander.[48][49][30]By December 2020, the launch had been delayed to 2022 because of technical problems with the BE-4 main engine.[50][51]In June 2021, Astrobotic saidPeregrinewould not be ready on time due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,delaying the mission and Vulcan Centaur's first launch; furtherPeregrinedelays put the launch of Vulcan into 2023.[52][53][54]In March 2023, a Centaur V test stage failed during a test sequence. To fix the problem, ULA changed the structure of the stage and built a new Centaur for Vulcan Centaur's maiden flight.[55]In October 2023, ULA announced they aimed to launch Vulcan Centaur by year's end.[56]

Certification flights[edit]

Launch of thePeregrinelunar lander on Vulcan Centaur's first flight

On 8 January 2024, Vulcan lifted off for the first time. The flight used the VC2S configuration, with two solid rocket boosters and a standard-length fairing. A 4-minutetrans-lunar injectionburn followed by payload separation put the Peregrine lander on a trajectory to the Moon. One hour and 18 minutes into the flight, the Centaur upper stage fired for a third time, sending it into aheliocentric orbitto test how it would behave in long missions, such as those required to send payloads togeostationary orbit.[14][57]

A failure in thePeregrine'spropulsion system shortly after separation prevented it from landing on the Moon; Astrobotic said the Vulcan Centaur rocket performed without problems.[58]

On 14 August 2019, ULA won a commercial competition when it was announced the second Vulcan certification flight would be named SNC Demo-1, the first of sevenDream Chaser CRS-2flights under NASA'sCommercial Resupply Servicesprogram. They will use the four-SRB VC4 configuration.[59]The SNC Demo-1 was scheduled for launch no earlier than April 2024.[60]

After Vulcan Centaur's second certification mission, the rocket will be qualified for use on U.S. military missions.[61]As of August 2020,Vulcan was to launch ULA's awarded 60% share ofNational Security Space Launchpayloads from 2022 to 2027,[62]but delays occurred. TheSpace Force's USSF-51 launch in late 2022 was be the first national security classified mission, but in May 2021 the spacecraft was reassigned to anAtlas Vto "mitigate schedule risk associated with Vulcan Centaur non-recurring design validation".[63]For similar reasons, theKuiper Systemsprototype flight was moved to anAtlas Vrocket.[64]

After Vulcan's first launch in January 2024, developmental delays with theDream Chaserled ULA to contemplate replacing it with a mass simulator so Vulcan could move ahead with the certification required by its Air Force contract.[65]Bloomberg Newsreported in May 2024 that United Launch Alliance was accruing financial penalties due to delays in the military launch contracts.[66]On 10 May, Air Force Assistant SecretaryFrank Calvelliwrote to Boeing and Lockheed executives. "I am growing concerned with ULA's ability to scale manufacturing of its Vulcan rocket and scale its launch cadence to meet our needs", Calvelli wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by theWashington Post."Currently there is military satellite capability sitting on the ground due to Vulcan delays."[67]In June 2024, Bruno announced that Vulcan would make its second flight in September with an “inert payload” plus some “experiments and demonstrations” to help develop future technology for the Centaur upper stage.[68]

Versions and configurations[edit]

ULA has four-character designations for the various Vulcan Centaur configurations. They start with VC for the Vulcan first stage and the Centaur upper stage. The third character is the number of SRBs attached to the Vulcan—0, 2, 4 or 6—and the fourth denotes the payload-fairing length: S for Standard (15.5 m (51 ft)) or L for Long (21.3 m (70 ft)).[69]For example, "VC6L" would represent a Vulcan first stage, a Centaur upper stage, six SRBs and a long-configuration fairing.[69]The most powerful Vulcan Centaur will have a Vulcan first stage, a Centaur upper stage with RL10CX engines with a nozzle extension and six SRBs.[70]

Capabilities[edit]

The payload capacity of Vulcan Centaur versions are:[71][70]

Version SRBs Payload mass to...
ISS[a] SSO[b] MEO[c] GEO[d] GTO[e] Molniya[f] TLI[g] TMI
Vulcan Centaur VC0 0 8,800 kg (19,400 lb) 7,900 kg (17,400 lb) 300 kg (660 lb) — 3,300 kg (7,300 lb) 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) 2,100 kg (4,600 lb) —
Vulcan Centaur VC2 2 16,300 kg (35,900 lb) 14,400 kg (31,700 lb) 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) 8,300 kg (18,300 lb) 6,200 kg (13,700 lb) 6,200 kg (13,700 lb) 3,600 kg (7,900 lb)
Vulcan Centaur VC4 4 21,400 kg (47,200 lb) 18,500 kg (40,800 lb) 6,100 kg (13,400 lb) 4,800 kg (10,600 lb) 11,600 kg (25,600 lb) 8,900 kg (19,600 lb) 9,100 kg (20,100 lb) 6,000 kg (13,000 lb)
Vulcan Centaur VC6 6 25,600 kg (56,400 lb) 22,300 kg (49,200 lb) 7,900 kg (17,400 lb) 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) 14,400 kg (31,700 lb) 10,600 kg (23,400 lb) 11,300 kg (24,900 lb) 7,600 kg (16,800 lb)
Vulcan Centaur VC6 (upgrade) 6 26,900 kg (59,300 lb) TBA 8,600 kg (19,000 lb) 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) 15,300 kg (33,700 lb) TBA 12,100 kg (26,700 lb) 7,600 kg (16,800 lb)
Notes
  1. ^407 km (253 mi) circular orbit at 51.6° inclination
  2. ^555 km (345 mi) circular orbit at 98.75° inclination
  3. ^20,368 km (12,656 mi) circular orbit at 55° inclination
  4. ^36,101 km (22,432 mi) circular orbit at 0° inclination
  5. ^1,800 m/s delta-V with 185 km (115 mi) perigee and 35,786 km (22,236 mi) apogee orbit at 27° inclination
  6. ^1,203 km (748 mi) perigee and 39,170 km (24,340 mi) apogee orbit at 63.4° inclination
  7. ^C3: -2 km2/sec2

These capabilities reflect NSSL requirements, plus room for growth.[5][72]

A Vulcan Centaur with six solid rocket boosters can put 27,200 kilograms into low Earth orbit, nearly as much as the three-core Delta IV Heavy.[73]

Vulcan Centaur launches[edit]

This section istranscludedfromList of Vulcan launches (2020–29).(edit|history)

2024[edit]

Flight No. Date / time (UTC) Rocket,
configuration 		Launch site Payload Payload mass Orbit Customer Launch
outcome
1 8 January 2024,
07:18 		Vulcan CentaurVC2S CCSFS,SLC-41 Peregrinelander 1,283 kg (2,829 lb) TLI Astrobotic Technology Success[74]
Enterprise (space burial) Heliocentric Celestis
Maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur. VulcanCertification-1mission, the first of two launches needed to certify the rocket forNational Security Space Launch(NSSL) missions. Payload fromCelestis,demonstrated engine restart capability of the Centaur upper stage delivering multiple payloads to different orbits. ThePeregrinepayload failed in transit to the Moon, precluding a landing attempt, due to reasons unrelated to the launch vehicle.[75]

Potential upgrades[edit]

Since 2015, ULA has spoken of several technologies that would improve the Vulcan launch vehicle's capabilities. These include first-stage improvements to make the most expensive components potentially reusable and second-stage improvements to allow the rocket to operate for months in Earth-orbitcislunar space.[76]

Long-endurance upper stages[edit]

Main article:Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage

The ACES upper stage—fueled with liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) and powered by up to four rocket engines with the engine type yet to be selected—was a conceptual upgrade to Vulcan's upper stage at the time of the announcement in 2015. This stage could be upgraded to include Integrated Vehicle Fluids technology that would allow the upper stage to function in orbit for weeks instead of hours. The ACES upper stage was cancelled in September 2020[31][77],and ULA said the Vulcan second stage would now be the Centaur V upper stage: a larger, more powerful version of the Dual Engine Centaur upper stage used by the Atlas V N22.[19][76]A senior executive at ULA said the Centaur V design was also heavily influenced by ACES.[78][73]

However, ULA said in 2021 that it is working to add more value to upper stages by having them perform tasks such as operating as space tugs. CEO Tory Bruno says ULA is working on upper stages with hundreds of times the endurance of those currently in use.[78]

SMART reuse[edit]

A method of main engine reuse called Sensible Modular Autonomous Return Technology (SMART) is a proposed upgrade for Vulcan Centaur. In the concept, the booster engines, avionics, and thrust structure detach as a module from the propellant tanks after booster engine cutoff. The engine module then falls through the atmosphere protected by aninflatable heat shield.After parachute deployment, the engine section splashes down, using the heatshield as a raft.[79]ULA estimated this technology could reduce the cost of the first stage propulsion by 90%, and 65% of the total first-stage cost.[32][79]Although SMART reuse was not initially funded for development,[76]from 2021 the higher launch cadence required to launch the Project Kuiper megaconstellation provided support for the concept's business case.[80]Prior to 2022, ULA intended to catch the engine section using a helicopter.[79]

Vulcan Heavy[edit]

In September 2020, ULA announced that they were carefully studying a "Vulcan Heavy" variant with three booster cores. Speculation about a new variant had been rampant for months after an image of a model of that version popped on social media. ULA CEO Tory Bruno later tweeted a clearer image of the model and said it was the subject of ongoing study.[81][82][needs update]

See also[edit]

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External links[edit]

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