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Four approaches are presented to conŽ guring large, all-rocket, two-stage-to-orbit launch (TSTO) vehicles for delivering heavy payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO). The payload capability for each conŽfiguration is 176,000 lb launched due east into a 220-nmile circular orbit. This capability was chosen so as to be comparable to the payload capability of the shuttle-derived Magnum expendable heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) concept characterized by NASA. In the Žfirst option presented, a reusable, winged stage is used to boost a parallel burn, expendable core stage to LEO. For the second option, both the booster and orbiter are winged, fully reusable stages. The third option differs from the second only in the fuel type used by the booster stage. The fourth conŽfiguration differs in that the winged, reusable orbiter utilizes an expendable payload shroud, rather than an internal payload bay. Its forward shroud is mounted to the orbiter’s nose structure via a special structural attachment. Results indicate that a HLLV strategy should consider using a shared reusable booster. The booster should be a common component of another TSTO launch system, to boost smaller core stages. This would allow recouping the boosters’ initial nonrecurring costs across a larger number of missions and programs.

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This page is a summary of: Two-Stage Launch Vehicles for Heavy Payloads, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, January 2002, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/2.3790.
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