Lockheed Martin is the latest manufacturer to announce it will be building small satellite launch vehicles for the US Department of Defense’s DARPA research arm.
The company joins Boeing and reportedly Virgin Galactic to be awarded a Phase 1 contract…
Lockheed Martin is the latest manufacturer to announce it will be building small satellite launch vehicles for the US Department of Defense’s DARPA research arm.
The company joins Boeing and reportedly Virgin Galactic to be awarded a Phase 1 contract under the government’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) programme, which aims to develop a system for launching spacecraft from aircraft to cut costs.
Ultimately, ALASA’s goal is the capability to launch small satellites or payloads of up to 45kg (100lb) for less than US$1m – a threefold reduction in costs compared with current military and US commercial launch prices. Currently, small satellite payloads in the US must also share a launcher with other spacecraft, because there is no dedicated system for lofting the birds, called smallsats.
Announcing its contract win on 3 July, Lockheed explained how its team will work towards defining a preliminary system design that can be demonstrated after Phase 1’s 18-month timeframe.
“Our approach uses a tactical aircraft to provide a high energy-state, reusable first stage, enabling launches from bases worldwide to support the US and its allies,” said Derek Bye, Lockheed Martin’s ALASA programme manager.
“With the connectivity requirements of current and future systems, doing this quickly and affordably is a vital need that must be addressed.”
Lockheed valued its ALASA contract at around US$6.2m, and said its team for the project includes experts from manufacturers Alliant Techsystems Operations and Defense Propulsion System.
Boeing announced at the end of May that it had been selected to take part in Phase 1 of the ALASA programme, under a US$4.5m contract. The company’s Boeing Phantom Works research division is responsible for developing the system.
“We will apply experience from across Boeing in aircraft and launch system development and operation, as well as our proven rapid prototyping skills, to offer an innovative analysis to support this important DARPA mission,” said Steve Johnston, director of advanced space exploration for Boeing Phantom Works.
“ALASA will expand our knowledge of launch system solutions that can be integrated into existing operational aircraft with minimal modifications.”
Virgin Galactic has not officially announced its ALASA plans, although Stephen Attenborough, the company’s commercial director, has been quoted saying it had been awarded the Phase 1 contract.
Notably, the company informed media in mid-June of plans to hold a press conference on 11 July to “announce an expansion to the company’s current business plans of space tourism and research, which will support government agencies, defence and commercial customers”.
This announcement could be the highly-anticipated launch of Virgin Galactic Cargo, which would see the company revive plans to expand beyond its core space tourism business model. Earlier plans for a division that would focus on launching small satellites were shelved in late 2010.
Virgin Galactic declined to comment.
ALASA’s Phase 2, scheduled for 2013-2015, will include build and flight test demonstrations.
Update: 11/07/2012
As expected, during the Farnborough International Air Show in the UK, Virgin Galactic unveiled a two-stage vehicle called LauncherOne, which it claims will be capable of carrying up to 500 pounds (225 kilograms) to orbit for prices below US$10m. The company said early customers for these flights will include private satellite imagery specialist Skybox, non-imaging remote sensing satellite developer GeoOptics, and Planetary Resources, the newly announced asteriod mining venture.
