Title:
Chimera: A Low Cost Solution to Small Satellite Space Access
Chimera: A Low Cost Solution to Small Satellite Space Access
Author(s)
Crowley, John
Hutchinson, Virgil L., Jr.
Keisner, Alex
Young, David Anthony
Curry, Mike
Jackson, Jonathan
Maatsch, John
Piletsky, Pavel
Olds, John R.
Hutchinson, Virgil L., Jr.
Keisner, Alex
Young, David Anthony
Curry, Mike
Jackson, Jonathan
Maatsch, John
Piletsky, Pavel
Olds, John R.
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Editor(s)
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Abstract
The Chimera rocket was designed to enter the
small satellite market by offering an affordable and
flexible alternative to the Pegasus launch vehicle. A
number of design concepts were evaluated, and one
was selected to undergo detailed analysis. This
included disciplinary analyses in aerodynamics,
propulsion, trajectory, aeroheating, structures,
weights, operations, and cost. The baseline vehicle,
consisting of a Minuteman 2-2 first stage, a PAM-S
second stage, and a new third stage carries a 100 and
50 kg payload to a 700 km altitude, at inclinations of
60° and 110° respectively. At this point a Monte
Carlo Simulation was performed to determine how
well the system met its price goals. The baseline
vehicle fails to meet the desired launch price of $5
million to a reasonable confidence level. However,
either the implementation of a cost reduction in the
cost of the first stage, or the infusion of appropriate
structural and propellant technologies in the design of
the third stage, help to make the desired launch price
viable.
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Date Issued
2003-08
Extent
444230 bytes
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Paper