Taurus rocket
Encyclopedia
Taurus is a four stage
, solid fuel
launch vehicle
built in the United States
by Orbital Sciences Corporation
. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer. The Taurus rocket is able to carry a payload of around 1,350 kg into a low Earth orbit
. First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed six out of a total of nine military and commercial missions. Three of the last four launches have ended in failure, including the February 24, 2009 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory
mission and the March 4, 2011 launch of the Glory
mission. The failure of the two latest launches resulted in losses totalling $700 million for NASA (not including cost of the rockets themselves).
120 made by ATK
(formerly Thiokol
), is based on a Peacekeeper
ICBM first stage. Stages 2 and 3 are Orion-50s (like the Pegasus-1 but without wings or stabilisers), and stage 4 is an Orion-38, derived from the Pegasus-3.
spacecraft. Liftoff occurred successfully at 09:55 GMT from Vandenberg Air Force Base, but data received at a later stage of the flight suggested that the fairing failed to separate. The rocket did not reach orbit. Launch vehicle and services for OCO are estimated at $54m.
climate change monitoring satellite. The reason for the failure was the same as with OCO: the payload fairing failed to separate, although the rocket's manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation
had spent the last two years trying to fix the problem and had made several design changes to the fairing separation system. The fairing was built by the Vermont Composites company. In total, the last two failures of the Taurus XL have resulted in payload losses worth $700 million. Ronald Grabe, manager of Orbital Sciences Corporation, which also built the Glory satellite itself, said the employees of his companies are "pretty devastated" because of the latest failure.
system.
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...
, solid fuel
Solid rocket
A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a rocket engine that uses solid propellants . The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used by the Chinese in warfare as early as the 13th century and later by the Mongols, Arabs, and Indians.All rockets used some form of...
launch vehicle
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer. The Taurus rocket is able to carry a payload of around 1,350 kg into a low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed six out of a total of nine military and commercial missions. Three of the last four launches have ended in failure, including the February 24, 2009 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory
Orbiting Carbon Observatory
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite mission intended to provide global space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide . The original spacecraft was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the payload fairing of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to...
mission and the March 4, 2011 launch of the Glory
Glory (satellite)
The Glory satellite was a planned NASA satellite mission that would have collected data on the chemical, micro-physical and optical properties—and the spatial and temporal distributions—of sulfate and other aerosols, and would have collected solar irradiance data for the long-term climate record...
mission. The failure of the two latest launches resulted in losses totalling $700 million for NASA (not including cost of the rockets themselves).
Stages
The Taurus first stage, a CastorCastor (rocket stage)
The Castor family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters were built by Thiokol and used on a variety of launch vehicles. They were initially developed as the second stage motor of the Scout rocket...
120 made by ATK
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
(formerly Thiokol
Thiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
), is based on a Peacekeeper
LGM-118A Peacekeeper
The LGM-118A Peacekeeper, also known as the MX missile , was a land-based ICBM deployed by the United States starting in 1986. A total of 50 missiles were deployed. They have since been deactivated....
ICBM first stage. Stages 2 and 3 are Orion-50s (like the Pegasus-1 but without wings or stabilisers), and stage 4 is an Orion-38, derived from the Pegasus-3.
Numbering system
Different configurations are designated using a four digit code, similar to the numbering system used on Delta rockets. The first digit denotes the type of first stage being used, and whether the second and third stages use a standard or "XL" configuration. The second digit denotes the diameter of the payload fairing. The third digit denotes the type of fourth stage. The fourth digit denotes an optional fifth stage, however as of 2009, this has not been used.| Number | First digit | Second Digit | Third Digit | Fourth Digit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First stage | Second stage | Third stage | Fairing diameter | Fourth stage | Fifth stage | |
| 0 | colspan="3" | None | ||||
| 1 | TU-903 | Orion-50ST | Orion-50T | 1.6 m (63 in) | Orion-38 | |
| 2 | Castor-120 | Orion-50ST | Orion-50T | 2.34 m (92.1 in) | ||
| 3 | Castor-120 | Orion-50SXLT | Orion-50XLT | Star-37FM | Star-37 | |
List of launches
| Flight number | Date | Vehicle type | Payload | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 13, 1994 | ARPA Taurus | STEP Mission 0 & DARPASAT | |
| 2 | February 10, 1998 | Commercial Taurus, 92" payload fairing and 63" dual payload attach fitting | GFO and ORBCOMM Orbcomm ORBCOMM is a company that offers M2M global asset monitoring and messaging services from its constellation of 29 LEO communications satellites orbiting at 775 km. Like its voice-centric competitors Iridium and Globalstar, it filed for Chapter 11 protection, in September, 2000. ORBCOMM issued... (Satellites 11,12) |
|
| 3 | October 3, 1998 | Air Force Taurus Configuration, 63" fairing, Peacekeeper Stage 0 | Space Technology Experiment STEX STEX was an experimental NRO satellite built by Lockheed Martin. It was launched on October 3, 1998. One of the experiments was ATEx , which was deployed on 22. January 1999, and subsequently jettisoned.- External links :* at Gunter's Space Page... (STEX) for National Reconnaissance Office National Reconnaissance Office The National Reconnaissance Office , located in Chantilly, Virginia, is one of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. It designs, builds, and operates the spy satellites of the United States government.-Mission:... (NRO) |
|
| 4 | December 20, 1999 | Model 2110, 63" fairing, Castor 120 Stage 0 | KOMPSAT and ACRIMSAT | |
| 5 | March 12, 2000 | Air Force Taurus Configuration, 63" fairing, Peacekeeper Stage 0 | Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) | |
| 6 | Model 2110, 63" fairing Castor 120 Stage 0 | Orbview-4/QuikTOMS Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer is a satellite instrument for measuring ozone values. It has been flown on NASA-satellites. Of the five TOMS instruments which were built, four entered successful orbit... |
||
| 7 | May 20, 2004 | Model 3210, 92" fairing, Castor 120 Stage 0 | ROCSAT-2 | |
| 8 | Model 3110, 63" fairing Castor 120 Stage 0 | Orbiting Carbon Observatory Orbiting Carbon Observatory The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite mission intended to provide global space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide . The original spacecraft was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the payload fairing of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to... |
||
| 9 | Model 3110, 63" fairing Castor 120 Stage 0 | Glory Glory (satellite) The Glory satellite was a planned NASA satellite mission that would have collected data on the chemical, micro-physical and optical properties—and the spatial and temporal distributions—of sulfate and other aerosols, and would have collected solar irradiance data for the long-term climate record... , KySat-1 KySat-1 KySat-1 was an American satellite which was to have been operated by Kentucky Space. Designed to operate for eighteen to twenty four months, it was lost in a launch failure in March 2011 after the Taurus rocket carrying it failed to achieve orbit.... , Hermes Hermes (satellite) Hermes was an American satellite which was to have been operated by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Intended to perform technology demonstration experiments in low Earth orbit, it was lost during launch in March 2011 when the rocket that was carrying it failed to achieve orbit.Hermes was a... , and Explorer-1 [PRIME] |
||
Orbview launch failure
On September 21, 2001, a Taurus XL rocket failed during launch. Liftoff occurred successfully, but the rocket did not reach orbit.OCO launch failure
On February 24, 2009, a Taurus XL rocket failed during the launch of the $270m Orbiting Carbon ObservatoryOrbiting Carbon Observatory
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite mission intended to provide global space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide . The original spacecraft was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the payload fairing of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to...
spacecraft. Liftoff occurred successfully at 09:55 GMT from Vandenberg Air Force Base, but data received at a later stage of the flight suggested that the fairing failed to separate. The rocket did not reach orbit. Launch vehicle and services for OCO are estimated at $54m.
Glory launch failure
On March 4, 2011, a Taurus XL rocket failed again during the launch of NASA's $424 million GloryGlory (satellite)
The Glory satellite was a planned NASA satellite mission that would have collected data on the chemical, micro-physical and optical properties—and the spatial and temporal distributions—of sulfate and other aerosols, and would have collected solar irradiance data for the long-term climate record...
climate change monitoring satellite. The reason for the failure was the same as with OCO: the payload fairing failed to separate, although the rocket's manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
had spent the last two years trying to fix the problem and had made several design changes to the fairing separation system. The fairing was built by the Vermont Composites company. In total, the last two failures of the Taurus XL have resulted in payload losses worth $700 million. Ronald Grabe, manager of Orbital Sciences Corporation, which also built the Glory satellite itself, said the employees of his companies are "pretty devastated" because of the latest failure.
OBV
Vehicles similar to Taurus carrier rockets are used as "Orbital Boost Vehicles" for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Ground-Based Midcourse DefenseGround-Based Midcourse Defense
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is the United States system for intercepting incoming warheads in space. Currently, it is a major component of the U.S. national missile defense strategy aimed against ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles...
system.