Capricornio (rocket)
Capricornio was a Spanish satellite launch vehicle developed by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in the 1990s.[1] It was expected to be a low cost solution to place up to 70 kg payloads into 600 km polar orbits or 60 to 140 kg payloads into low Earth orbit.
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| Function | Orbital launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Size | |
| Height | 18.25 m (59.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.00 m (3.28 ft) |
| Mass | 15,035 kg (33,147 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 140 kg (310 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Canceled |
| Launch sites | El Hierro |
| First stage – Castor 4B | |
| Motor | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 429 kN (96,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 61 sec |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| Second stage – Deneb-F | |
| Motor | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 167.9 kN (37,700 lbf) |
| Burn time | 35.6 sec |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Third stage – Mizar-B | |
| Motor | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 50.29 kN (11,310 lbf) |
| Burn time | 33.8 sec |
| Fuel | Solid |
Development
- First phase: development of solid motors using the INTA-100 and INTA-300 sounding rockets, launched from the El Arenosillo test range in southern Spain.
- Second phase: use Capricornio second and third stages as the Argos sounding rocket (originally planned for winter 1998-99[2]).
- Third phase: first launch of the full Capricornio rocket, carrying a micro-satellite.
Configuration
Three-stage solid propellant launcher. Overall length of 18.25 m, body diameter of 1.0 m and weighs 15,035 kg at launch.
Projected flights
The first flight of Capricornio was scheduled to take place from El Hierro Launch Centre[5] in late 1999 or 2000. It would carry two small satellites:[1] Nanosat 01 (developed by the Polytechnic University of Madrid) and Venus (Polytechnic University of Madrid and other universities in Mexico and Argentina).
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References
- "Capricorno". Astronautix.com. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- "Capricornio project". Sat-net.com. 1998-10-19. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- "Thiokol to Supply Rocket Boosters for Spain's Capricornio Launch Vehicle New Three-Stage Booster Under Development for Small Payloads - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. 1997-06-16. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- "Capricornio". B14643.de. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- "Spain in Space" (PDF). Esa.int. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
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