Small Launch Vehicle Concept

"Miniaturization technology has enabled small satellites in the 100 to 1,000-lb weight range. The ability to produce these satellites has outpaced the ability of military and commercial sector to cheaply launch them into space. Current spacelift isexpensive; e.g., it costs roughly $15M to launch a 1,000-lb satellite to Low Earth Orbit, or $15,000 per lb of spacecraft weight. Small satellite potential is hindered by the lack of affordable and reliable spacelift. The market for affordable smalllaunch vehicles is characterized by the classic "chicken and egg" problem. Space users are reluctant to address mission needs with small satellites because launch cost dominates the price of their architectures. Launch vehicle providers are reluctant tofocus on developing small low-cost launch systems due to a fear that the customer base will not support the development cost.A Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) using innovative propulsion and structural technologies is proposed to meet this need. A number of innovations are proposed in the propulsion system which minimize technical risk in the development phase and therefore.Successful demonstration of technologies offered in this proposal through the Phase II will ensure mitigation of highest risk element in the recurring cost of SLV. An important consideration for a SLV is economics. A successful business strategy requires a balance between acceptable investor return on investment and a launch pr