Several foreign private companies are currently working on launch vehicle and spacecraft projects. It is expected that the "private traders" thanks to such projects in the future will be able to squeeze the world leaders of the space industry, as well as help them by taking on some projects. The first Russian private organization to build its own launch vehicle may be Lin Industries. In early September, she announced the start of work on her next project called "Taimyr". Soon there was news about cooperation with several related organizations, which will help to quickly implement a new project.
The Lin Industries company is a resident of the space cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation and was created to carry out projects in the field of astronautics. Currently, the company's specialists are working on several projects for launch vehicles, spacecraft, etc. So, work is underway on several launch vehicles of light and ultralight classes, on a satellite constellation for remote sensing of the Earth, etc. At the same time, the projects of launch vehicles have the highest priority, since such equipment has great prospects.
According to experts, at present, the volume of the market for light launch vehicles has reached $ 0.5-1 billion, which equals 15-20 launches. At the same time, the number of launches and the volume of this market is constantly growing. For example, in 2013, there were 22 launches of light launch vehicles, during which 102 spacecraft were launched into orbit. Thus, light launch vehicles have put into orbit half of all satellites launched last year. It is noteworthy that almost two-thirds of the spacecraft launched using light launch vehicles belong to the class of nanosatellites and were created on the basis of the CubeSat platform.
To enter the commercial launch market, Lin Industries a few months ago proposed an Adler launch vehicle project with a payload of up to 700 kg. It is said that with three launches per year, the development and production of this rocket will pay off in three years. With the help of Adler rockets, it is proposed to launch 3-4 minisatellites into orbit annually, as well as a large number of micro- and nanosatellites. In this case, "Adler" will be able to occupy at least 5% of the world market for light launch vehicles.
Analysis of the existing market for light launch vehicles has shown that the characteristics of the Adler rocket may be excessive for solving some problems. It makes sense to continue to reduce the payload of missiles. In this regard, it was proposed to develop a rocket project with the ability to deliver 5-100 kg to low-earth orbit. The start of work on a new project called "Taimyr" was announced in early September.
It is reported that there are already agreements with several related organizations involved in the creation of spacecraft. Thus, the development of a rocket with a payload of 5 kg will indeed be justified. Nevertheless, the main model of the Taimyr family will be a rocket with a payload of 100 kg. All other versions of the launch vehicle will be the base model, modified accordingly.
As follows from the published materials, launch vehicles of the Taimyr family will be based on a universal module, which will include fuel tanks and a liquid-propellant rocket engine. Such modules with a length of 8, 7 m and a diameter of 0.5 m can be used both individually, which will ensure the minimum payload, and in blocks. For example, to deliver a 100-kg cargo into orbit, five modules will be combined into one launch vehicle, additionally equipped with a payload compartment.
The creation of light and ultralight launch vehicles is associated with certain difficulties due to their small dimensions and restrictions on the maximum allowable weight and production cost. To ensure the required characteristics, specialists from Lin Industries propose to use a number of original solutions in the design of the Taimyr rocket.
According to Alexander Ilyin, general designer of Lin Industries, the new rocket should receive a liquid-propellant engine with a positive fuel supply system. The fact is that liquid fuel must be supplied to the combustion chamber under high pressure, for which a special turbopump unit (TNA) is usually used. The use of THA provides the necessary characteristics, but leads to the complication and rise in the cost of the entire engine. On missiles of the "Taimyr" family, it is supposed to supply fuel by creating high pressure in the tanks. Such an approach requires the creation of high-strength tanks, however, it makes it possible to almost halve the cost of a liquid-propellant engine due to the savings on THA.
The Taimyr missiles should receive a new control system developed specifically for them. The developers of the rocket note that at present, most of the launch vehicles use control systems created back in the eighties on the basis of the element base of that time. These systems have high performance, and are also mastered in production and operation. However, they are too complex and overkill for a number of tasks. For example, some customers are interested in the very fact of launching a micro- or nanosatellite into orbit, and an error of several tens of kilometers during launching does not bother them.
Thus, it becomes possible to simplify the control system by reducing the accuracy of placing the payload into orbit. General simplification of the system allows you to reduce the requirements for the element base and, as a result, reduce the cost of production. A. Ilyin notes that the new control system will be about 10 times cheaper than the existing ones. A number of original technical solutions will be patented.
The third know-how supposed for use in the Taimyr project is fuel. The Lin Industries specialists decided to use kerosene as fuel and hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent. It was decided to abandon the "traditional" liquid oxygen due to some of its features. The use of the new fuel pair is driven by the desire to reduce the operating costs of the launch vehicle, while slightly sacrificing some of the characteristics.
Hydrogen peroxide has several advantages over liquid oxygen. Under normal conditions, it is a liquid, which does not require the use of special equipment that maintains the oxidizer in a liquid state and does not allow it to boil away. In addition, hydrogen peroxide has a higher density compared to liquid oxygen, which makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the rocket structures. Finally, hydrogen peroxide is safer for the environment and maintenance personnel.
On September 9, Lin Industries announced the official start of cooperation with the Rocket Engines Department of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI). In accordance with the signed agreement, specialists from the Moscow Aviation Institute will develop a new liquid-propellant rocket engine with a thrust of 2.5-3 tons, designed to use a kerosene-hydrogen peroxide fuel pair. This engine is supposed to be used on the modules of the Taimyr launch vehicle.
On September 17, news appeared about the signing of an agreement between Lin Industries and Kalibrovsky Zavod LLC. The Moscow Region enterprise in the future will be engaged in the construction of new light and ultralight launch vehicles developed by Lin Industries.
It is assumed that creating a new project will not take long. Tests of the Taimyr rocket are scheduled to begin next summer. The test site should be the Kapustin Yar test site. Thus, a number of measures aimed at simplifying and reducing the cost of the project should also lead to a reduction in the timing of its creation. In the absence of serious problems, the first commercial launch of the Taimyr launch vehicle with small satellites on board could take place within the next one and a half to two years.
The development of electronics and space technology has led to the emergence and widespread use of small satellites of various classes and types. Typically, such a technique is launched into orbit as an additional payload to other spacecraft. Nevertheless, there is a tendency towards the creation of specialized launch vehicles designed specifically for launching small satellites of various classes.
The Taimyr rocket is one of the first domestic developments of its class and therefore is of great interest. In addition, due to the small number of competitors, it has rather great prospects. The real prospects of the new project of the Lin Industries company will become known in the near future: tests of the new rocket will start next summer, and commercial operation may begin in 2016.
