Abstract: Major cost reductions in planetary missions, especially those with high launch energy requirements, are made possible by a modified launch mode in which part of the total launch energy is generated by onboard propulsion rather than by the launch vehicle....
MSFC Industry Review Download “Application Of Scorpius Low Cost Launch Services to Mini-Lift Market”
Abstract: The ability to substantially reduce the cost of planetary missions lies not only in the cost reductions to be found in spacecraft design but also in choice of launch vehicle. smaller launch vehicles are cheaper but are also less capable at lofting...
Abstract: Scorpius is a Microcosm program to develop an entirely new launch vehicle family with the objective of reducing total launch cost by a factor of 10. This paper reports on progress since the program was publicly introduced at the 9th AIAA/USU Conference....
Abstract: A novel method of spacecraft injection to interplanetary trajectories is described that can increase the net spacecraft mass by 50 to 100 percent or more in high-C3 missions. This launch mode employs an unconventional staging sequence, separating the...