ULA nears second launch of Vulcan Centaur in pursuit of US Space Force approval
- Reference: 1728038056
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/10/04/ula_vulcan_centaur_launch/
- Source link:
While the mission, dubbed Cert-2, was originally set to carry Sierra Space's Dream Chaser, delays with the spaceplane have meant that ULA opted to lift-off with an inert payload instead.
ULA needs to get that second attempt under its belt to certify the vehicle for lucrative US national security payloads.
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The Vulcan Centaur is ULA's replacement for the Atlas V and Delta IV launchers. Its [2]maiden voyage – which ran later than scheduled, in part due to the slower delivery of the Blue Origin BE-4 engines used to power the first stage – went ahead in January 2024. Named Cert-1, the rocket was carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander.
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After giving up the wait for Dream Chaser, which should arrive at some point in 2025, ULA is instead going to use a mass simulator along with some experiments and demonstrations to ease the vehicle's passage to US Space Force certification.
[5]According to ULA boss Tory Bruno, ULA waited for Sierra Space until "the last minute," which meant the company was unable to integrate payloads from other customers keen on a ride to orbit.
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The variant of the Vulcan Centaur being [7]launched today features a pair of solid rocket boosters strapped onto the first stage, which is powered by two BE-4 engines, each producing 550,000 lbf (2.4 meganewtons) of sea level thrust. Each solid rocket booster contributes an additional 459,600 lbf (2.044 meganewtons) of thrust at lift-off.
[8]SpaceX's Falcon anomaly could have serious implications for the space industry
[9]Dream Chaser mini-shuttle set to take flight at last
[10]Sierra Space bursts full-scale inflatable space habitat module
[11]Peregrine bows out with a bang as SLIM aims for Moon's rocky runway
According to Bruno, ULA decided on a heliocentric disposal of the upper stage – leaving it in an orbit around the Sun – after some " [12]experimental maneuvers ."
If all goes well, ULA aims to launch two more Vulcan Centaur rockets in 2024 before ramping up the cadence in 2025. ULA is planning for an ambitious 20 launches, split between the outgoing Atlas V and the Vulcan Centaur. These aren't SpaceX-level numbers, but considerably more than ULA has managed in the past.
The three-hour launch window opens at 1000 UTC, and there is currently an 80 percent chance that the weather will cooperate. A [13]Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) earlier this week , where the rocket was fueled and a countdown performed to just before engine ignition, went well.
The next step will be to ignite the engines and stand back a few hours from now. ®
Updated to add at 1232 UTC, October 4
After a slight delay, the Vulcan Centaur successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at 1125 UTC. Five minutes and 30 seconds later, the first stage was jettisoned, and the Centaur V upper stage took over to send itself and the inert payload into an initial parking orbit around the Earth.
At T-plus 35 minutes and three seconds, the engines of the Centaur V upper stage were fired up again to take the upper stage and its inert payload to deep space and into an orbit around the Sun.
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[2] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/08/vulcan_centaur_launch/
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[7] https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/vulcan-cert-2
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/15/spacex_faa_probe/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/10/dream_chaser_set_to_take/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/22/sierra_space_bursts_fullscale_inflatable/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/18/peregrine_slim_moon_missions/
[12] https://x.com/torybruno/status/1841579550049747127
[13] https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/1841225363948769447
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The correct term would be payload simulator, or perhaps inert payload - since it is dead weight taking the place of a useful payload….
Littering
to take the upper stage and its inert payload to deep space and into an orbit around the Sun.
So having figured out that littering earth orbit is bad, we're going to spin junk around the rest of the solar system instead? Or is it heading into the sun and will provide spectacular effects for some yet to be announced rock concert? Good job space is really, really big anyway. I hope there's a set of hazard warning lights at least.
Re: Littering
It'll likely impact the Earth in a few years.
By "heliocentric", they mean "following the Earth pretty closely", as it was given the final bit of delta-v very near Earth.
After a few orbits (years) it'll come close by again, and eventually it'll either hit Earth, or steal momentum from Earth and get kicked out of the solar system.
If we're unlucky, it'll steal a load of momentum one year then give it all back in a few seconds a few years later.
Re: Littering
Hitting the sun is really hard to do. You have to counter earth's velocity around the sun (107000 km/h), otherwise you just end up orbiting the sun. Though it's actually decelerating relative to the sun, it's all just delta-v (change in velocity) and that's about 4 times the delta-v you need to get into orbit.
They didn't wait until "the last minute"
The last minute is the point where you've still got time to integrate a new paying payload.
They waited until it was already too late, and had to launch a lump of (presumably) concrete.
Re: launch a lump of (presumably) concrete
Or is it a double bluff and they've just launched a super-ultra-secret payload?
Re: launch a lump of (presumably) concrete
Or maybe Dean Wormer's involved, and it's a double-ultra-secret-payload.
After giving up the wait for Dream Chaser, which should arrive at some point in 2025, ULA is instead going to use a mass simulator along with some experiments and demonstrations to ease the vehicle's passage to US Space Force certification.
I have an (excessive?) dislike for this term: unless there is new physics involved, it doesn't simulate mass, it IS mass. It's like referring to an airworthy aircraft as a flight simulator.
My apologies to ULA if it is actually a very small box with several sets of switches and dials on the side, with labels "inertial", "passive gravitational", and "active gravitational".
(The term "inert payload", further up the article, is better.)