Thursday, November 20, 2008

SLV

Also Known As
FALCON
Small Launch Vehicle

Origin
United States of America

Description: The Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) is a responsive and affordable space launch system aimed at placing small satellites into low earth orbit and providing low cost means of launching sub-orbital hypersonic technology vehicles. The small satellite payload reference for the SLV program is a satellite weighing 1,000 pounds (450 kg) placed into a circular orbit at 100 nautical mile (185 km) altitude. The SLV target launch cost is less than $5 million.

The SLV is being developed under joint DARPA/US Air Force FALCON program and has been divided into three phases. SLV phase I focus on concept definition with nine contractors involved in the conceptual designs, performance predictions, cost estimates, development and demonstration work. Phase II will conclude with flight demonstrations of the SLV launch system integrated with a payload. The 36-month phase II (2004-2007) will down-select to one or more contractors. Phase III (2007-2010), 30-month duration, is meant to test the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV) HTV-2 and reusable HTV-3 integrated with the SLV.

On September 15, 2004, the US Air Force and DARPA awarded funding to four teams of the SLV phase II. Airllaunch LLC, Lockheed-Martin, Microcosm Inc and Space Exploration Technologies Inc teams were awarded an other transaction for prototypes agreement ranging from $11.7 to $8 million. The Phase IIb will culminate in 2007 with flight tests of the SLV carrying a satellite payload.

Specifications
Weights: Payload 500 kg (1,102 lb)

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Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Saturday, October 25, 2008

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