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The existing unmanned launch vehicle fleet of the United States consists primarily of Delta, Atlas and Titan. The Space Shuttle is currently the only United States manned launch vehicle. Future launch system needs, both unmanned and manned, have recently been studied by various “Blue Ribbon” committees, as well as by both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense. The main impetus for investigating new ways of providing access to space is the aging launch vehicle fleet and the large costs associated with providing that access. Many options have been and are currently being investigated to provide the United States with a road map for charting the future path for access to space. The advent of a permanent international facility in space, Space Station, will dictate that routine and economical access be provided. This paper describes the systems being studied to improve the access to space by providing better, cheaper and more reliable launch systems capability. Architecture variations include both Space Shuttle improvements and phase-outs, new expendable launch vehicles, separate crew and cargo carriers and advanced technology crew and cargo vehicles. |
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