A concept for a lightweight space-based orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) featuring thin, spherical, pressure-designed aluminum liquid-oxygen and liquid-hydrogen tanks and a truss structure of composite materials is used as a baseline design for a large-cargo OTV. Vehicle sizing, fleet analysis, and parametric cost analysis are used to evaluate the effects of engine technology, vehicle staging, and high-thrust versus low-thrust transfer. Results indicate that Earth-to-orbit launch costs and OTV engine performance are strong drivers in orbital transportation cost and that there is no significant benefit in staging vehicles. At the low values of Earth-to-orbit cost representative of advanced launch vehicles, low-thrust and high-thrust OTV's are competitive.


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    Title :

    Propulsion options for space-based orbital transfer vehicles


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Joint Propulsion Conference ; 1978 ; Las Vegas, NV, US


    Publication date :

    1978-07-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Propulsion Options for Space-Based Orbital Transfer Vehicles

    John J. Rehder / Kathryn E. Wurster / lan O. MacConochie et al. | AIAA | 1979


    Propulsion options for space-based orbital transfer vehicles

    REHDER, J. / WURSTER, K. / MACCONOCHIE, I. et al. | AIAA | 1978


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