The Centaur is a family of rocket propelled upper stages that has been in use since 1962. It is currently produced by U.S. launch service provider United Launch Alliance,with one main active version and one version under development. The 3.05 m (10.0 ft) diameter Common Centaur/Centaur III flies as the upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle,and the 5.4 m (18 ft) diameter Centaur V has been developed as the upper stage of ULA's new Vulcan rocket. Centaur was the first rocket stage to use liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants,a high-energy combination that is ideal for upper stages but has significant handling difficulties.
The Delta rocket family was a versatile range of American rocket-powered expendable launch systems that provided space launch capability in the United States from 1960 to 2024. Japan also launched license-built derivatives from 1975 to 1992. More than 300 Delta rockets were launched with a 95% success rate. The series was phased out in favor of the Vulcan Centaur,with the Delta IV Heavy rocket's last launch occurring on April 9,2024.
Delta IV was a group of five expendable launch systems in the Delta rocket family. It flew 45 missions from 2002 to 2024. Originally designed by Boeing's Defense,Space and Security division for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program,the Delta IV became a United Launch Alliance (ULA) product in 2006. The Delta IV was primarily a launch vehicle for United States Air Force (USAF) military payloads,but was also used to launch a number of United States government non-military payloads and a single commercial satellite.
The Space Shuttle external tank (ET) was the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contained the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three RS-25 main engines in the orbiter. The ET was jettisoned just over 10 seconds after main engine cut-off (MECO) and it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike the Solid Rocket Boosters,external tanks were not re-used. They broke up before impact in the Indian Ocean,away from shipping lanes and were not recovered.
The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25,also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME),is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that was used on NASA's Space Shuttle and is used on the Space Launch System (SLS).
The RL10 is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine built in the United States by Aerojet Rocketdyne that burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. Modern versions produce up to 110 kN (24,729 lbf) of thrust per engine in vacuum. Three RL10 versions are in production for the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V and the DCSS of the Delta IV. Three more versions are in development for the Exploration Upper Stage of the Space Launch System and the Centaur V of the Vulcan rocket.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a subsidiary of American defense company L3Harris Technologies that manufactures rocket,hypersonic,and electric propulsive systems for space,defense,civil and commercial applications. Aerojet traces its origins to the General Tire and Rubber Company established in 1915,while Rocketdyne was created as a division of North American Aviation in 1955. Aerojet Rocketdyne was formed in 2013 when Aerojet and Pratt &Whitney Rocketdyne were merged,following the latter's acquisition by GenCorp from Pratt &Whitney. On April 27,2015,the name of the holding company,GenCorp Inc.,was changed to Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings,Inc. Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings was acquired by L3Harris in July 2023 for $4.7 billion.
Delta III was an expendable launch vehicle made by McDonnell Douglas. Development was cancelled before the vehicle became operational. The vehicle was being developed from the highly-successful Delta II to help meet the launch demand of larger satellites. The first Delta III launch was on August 26,1998. Of its three flights,the first two were failures,and the third,though declared successful,reached the low end of its targeted orbit range and carried only a dummy (inert) payload. The Delta III could deliver up to 3,810 kg (8,400 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit,twice the payload of its predecessor,the Delta II. Under the four-digit designation system from earlier Delta rockets,the Delta III is classified as the Delta 8930.
The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 is a liquid-fuel rocket engine that uses liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. It is the largest hydrogen-fueled rocket engine ever flown.
The gas-generator cycle,also called open cycle,is one of the most commonly used power cycles in bipropellant liquid rocket engines. Part of the unburned propellant is burned in a gas generator and the resulting hot gas is used to power the propellant pumps before being exhausted overboard,and lost. Because of this loss,this type of engine is termed open cycle.
The Earth Departure Stage (EDS) is the name given to the proposed second stage of the Block 2 Space Launch System. The EDS is intended to boost the rocket's payload into a parking orbit around the Earth and from there send the payload out of low Earth orbit to its destination in a manner similar to that of the S-IVB rocket stage used on the Saturn V rockets that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. Its development has been put on hold until stages capable of transferring heavy payloads to Mars are required.
United Launch Alliance,LLC,commonly referred to as ULA,is an American aerospace manufacturer,defense contractor and launch service provider that manufactures and operates rockets that launch spacecraft into Earth orbit and on trajectories to other bodies in the Solar System. ULA also designed and builds the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for the Space Launch System (SLS).
In rocketry,an adapter is a hollow cylindrical or conical segment which provides a sound aerodynamic and structural connection,either between rocket stages or between a spacecraft and the top rocket stage. It may shroud and protect vulnerable systems such as electrics or machinery of rocket engines/spacecraft from weather or noise caused by running engines. It is discarded during staging.
The Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) was a proposed liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen upper-stage for use on a number of different launch vehicles produced by Boeing,Lockheed Martin,United Launch Alliance (ULA). During the last five years of the program,ACES was proposed for eventual use on the Vulcan space launch vehicle designed by the U.S. company United Launch Alliance. The ACES concept had the objective to improve the on-orbit lifespan of current upper stages.
The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle used by NASA. As the primary launch vehicle of the Artemis Moon landing program,SLS is designed to launch the crewed Orion spacecraft on a trans-lunar trajectory. The first SLS launch was the uncrewed Artemis 1,which took place on 16 November 2022.
Pratt &Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was an American company that designed and produced rocket engines that use liquid propellants. It was a division of Pratt &Whitney,a fully owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. It was headquartered in Canoga Park,Los Angeles,California. In 2013,the company was sold to GenCorp,becoming part of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
The European Service Module (ESM) is the service module component of the Orion spacecraft,serving as its primary power and propulsion component until it is discarded at the end of each mission. In January 2013,NASA announced that the European Space Agency (ESA) will contribute the service module for Artemis 1,based on the ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). It was delivered by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen,in northern Germany to NASA at the end of 2018. After approval of the first module,the ESA will provide the ESMs from Artemis 2 to Artemis 6.
The Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is a rocket stage under development that will be used for future flights of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). Used on SLS Block 1B and Block 2,it will replace the SLS Block 1's Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. The stage will be powered by four RL10C-3 engines burning liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to produce a total thrust of 433.1 kN (97,360 lbf). The EUS is expected to first fly on Artemis 4 in 2028.
The MARC-60,also known as MB-60,MB-XX,and RS-73,is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine designed as a collaborative effort by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and US' Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engine burns cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in an open expander cycle,driving the turbopumps with waste heat from the main combustion process.
The Space Launch System core stage, or simply core stage,is the main stage of the American Space Launch System (SLS) rocket,built by The Boeing Company in the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. At 65 m (212 ft) tall and 8.4 m (27.6 ft) in diameter,the core stage contains approximately 987 t (2,177,000 lb) of its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenic propellants. Propelled by 4 RS-25 engines,the stage generates approximately 7.44 MN (1,670,000 lbf) of thrust,about 25% of the Space Launch System's thrust at liftoff,for approximately 500 seconds,propelling the stage alone for the last 375 seconds of flight. The stage lifts the rocket to an altitude of approximately 162 km (531,380 ft) before separating,reentering the atmosphere,and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
