Launch Vehicles

In further moves away from dependence on the United States, in the

1980s Brazil took steps to become self-sufficient in the production of
ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer for solid fuels. In addition to its
indigenous research and development, Brazil now cooperates in its
space program with Canada, the European Space Agency (ESA),
Russia, France, and especially China. One joint satellite project with
China is the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite. Brazil is also
seeking space cooperation with new partners, such as Israel.

In the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, many United States policy
makers were concerned with Brazil's MECB because of the possibility of
diverting space-launch technology to a ballistic missile program.
Although by mid-1997 Brazil had not produced a ballistic missile, its
military had given high priority to the development of several missile
systems, including the Piranha missile (MAA-1). Brazil's space-launch
program, coupled with its artillery rocket technology, suggests that the
country has the potential to develop advanced missiles, including ballistic
missiles.

From 1987 to 1994, the United States sought to stifle the development of
Brazil's ballistic missile program through the Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR), formed on April 16, 1987. Given Brazil's advanced
nuclear program, the United States was especially concerned that a
potential Brazilian ballistic missile could eventually serve as a vehicle for
a nuclear warhead. The United States restrictions on space technology
to Brazil stalled Brazil's VLS (Satellite Launch Vehicle) program and
ballistic missile research and development, strained United States
security relations with Brazil, and prompted Brazil to explore closer ties
with China, Russia, and various countries in Europe and the Middle East
(especially Iraq).

On February 11, 1994, Brazil announced that it would comply with MTCR
guidelines. Such compliance would include export controls on Brazilian
space and missile goods and technology. Brazil's accession to the
MTCR coincided with various attempts by the United States to cooperate
in space activities and seemed to signal a new era in space relations.
Brazil's application for MTCR membership was accepted in October
1995. Thus, by the end of 1995 Brazil's space capabilities were
improving, although they were modest by the standards of countries
such as the United States and Russia.

LV s - May 17, 2007

1. VLS-1 Estimated launch cost $8 million per launch. ((CTA/IAE) AIAA

, International Reference Guide to Space Launch Systems 1999, p. 488.)
This program started in 1980. Its first launch in 1997 failed at 65
seconds, the second failed in flight at 200 seconds and the third flight
test build up in 2003 destroyed part of the launch site infrastructure.
Flight testing is scheduled to resume before the end of 2006 thanks to
Russian assistance. Development cost over 20 years through 1999 was
$250-300 million including the infrastructure. The launch site is located
on the Alcantara space launch center (that was started in 1983) located
in the state of Maranhao on the north-east coast of Brazil . Conversion
from solid motor technology to liquid propellant rocket engines is being
pushed gradually by the Brazilian, Russian efforts through the VLS, VLS-
2 and Orion Launch Vehicle Projects.

2. VLM VLS-2 - AIAA , International Reference Guide to Space Launch

Systems 1999, p. 489, 490. This variant of the core of the VLS-1 is
estimated to cost $ 4 million per launch. Conversion of the VLS core from
solid motor technology to liquid propellant rocket engines is being
pushed gradually by the Brazilian, Russian assisted efforts through the
VLS -2 development program. The VLS-2 will be capable of launching
400 1000 kg satellites into various orbits not exceeding 2000 km. It has
yet to be flown independently.

3. Tsyklon-4 Agreement between Brazil & Ukraine is being developed.

Brazil and the Ukraine first developed the legal basis with five draft
intergovernmental agreement for the construction of a Tsyklon-4 launch
pad at Alcantara space launch center in October 2001. A coordinated
memorandum of mutual understanding was developed between the
Ukrainian Aerospace Agency and the Brazilian Space Agency. The
documents were signed between November 2001 and January 2002.
The hope was to launch up to 60 satellites starting in 2001 through the
follow five years. (N.Y. Times 5-23-00 ) The Yuzhnoye OKB and the
Yuzhnyy Machine-building plant located in Dnipropetrovsk (airframe,
engines) and the Khartron Company of Kharkiv (Guidance,
Instrumentation, flight avionics?) along with the Italian Fiat-Avio are the
primes for the contract. The Italian Fiat-Avio company eventually
withdrew from the agreements under US pressure. The Brazilian Infraero
Company is the launch site infrastructure constructor. (FP Space10-3-01)
The Ukrainian personnel started work on this project by April 2002 to
define the launch site location and details (Space/com March 11, 2002 .)
In September 2004 Brazil and the Ukraine signed an agreement that the
Tsyklon-4 would be launched from Alcantara some time after 2007 and
the agreement further committed both nations to fund $50 million each to
the infrastructure launch facilities development over the following three
years under the new Alcantara-Tsyklon-Space Joint Venture Company.
The three stage Tsyklon-4 with it new third stage and much larger
commercial payload shroud will be flight tested from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome during the 4 th quarter of 2005 as presently scheduled.
This did not happen but may start up once again in 2007 with the first
Tsyklon launch expected in 2009. Additional flights of either the
upgraded VLS-1 or Tsyklon-4 is expected during 2010 with three
communications satellites launches. It is also expected to be flown from
Plesetsk and the Alcantara launch sites. The Brazilian Ukrainian
Tsyklon-4 project is being set up as a Joint Venture that will become
operational either in 2004 or soon afterwards allowing six launches a
year. Tsyklon-4s payload capacity is stated to be between 4 metric
tones and 1-1.5 metric ton for satellites placed in a 600 by 800 km low
earth orbit. Pricing is expected to be com-probable but higher than the
Tsyklon-2 & 3 launch cost or in the $8-$12 million range. That price may
now have been raised to on the order of $30 million a launch. Brazil
hopes to launch the Brazilian-Chinese CIBER-4 spacecraft on the
Tsyklon-4. Whether this CIBER-4 satellite is being designed for both the
LM-4B and the Tsyklon-4 launch dynamic environment remains unclear.

4. Orion Launch Vehicle System Project; -

(http://www.orionspace.com/faq_en.htm) The Brazilian, Russian
memorandum of understanding agreement signed on November 22,
2004 on joint cooperation incorporated the following joint developments
of the Orion launch vehicle (based on Russian launch vehicle
technology), work on improving the launch infrastructure safety, and geo-
stationary communications and navigation satellite development. It is
being headed up by the Orion Space Internacional, S.A. (OSI) project
parent company a Brazil-based enterprise for financial and project
development. OSI is registered in offices in Fortaleza , CE with the
working office in Brasilia , District Federal. No specific time table for
these developments was specified except that the first launch is planned
for before 2008. Brazil has made it clear that it intends to become a
commercial space fairing nation in the next few years. The Orion Launch
Vehicle System Project was started through its feasibility design studies
project in 2002 and formally established in 2003 by the Orion Space
Ventrures Ltd. (OSV). (SpaceDaily Nov 22, 2004 , AFP) OSV has its
headquarters in the British Virgin Islands where it continues to head the
project as its primary investor.

Conversion from solid motor technology to liquid propellant rocket

engines is being pushed gradually by the Brazilian, Russian efforts
through the VLS and Orion Launch Vehicle Projects. This includes some
gradual early more powerful liquid propellant rocket engine development
testing. (FP Space Sept. 8, 2005 )
(http://www.orionspace.com/faq_en.htm) Russia will in fact carry out the
launch vehicles development and engineering support, including
supplying the engines and know how that the Brazilians will learn from
and ultimately put into production for this planned GTO and GSO launch
vehicle. While Brazil will acquire rocket space technology know how from
Russia it is the Russian space industry and Federal Space Agency that
will get the lions share of the contracts. The State Rocket Center
Makeyev Design Bureau (SRC) is the lead Russian contractor for the
launch vehicle design and development. Sub contracts will be with the N.
D. Kuznetsov JSC of Samara, Russia for the NK-33s, NPO Automation
for the flight control (guidance and flight avionics) systems and the
Progress Manufacturing Plant of Samara, Russia will serve as the serial
production factory for the airframe portions of the launch vehicle. The
Design Bureau of Transport Machinery (KBTM) of Moscow , Russia will
serve as the launch infrastructure design lead, developer in cooperation
with the Brazilian prime construction organizations. Orion is expected to
be launched from the equatorial Alcantara space launch center.
Alcantara offers the minimum energy combined capability to launch
satellites into GTO, GSO and Polar orbits. There is no military activity
associated with this activity and both nations are signatories to the
MTCR and its requirements are being observed.

The basic Orion launch vehicle concept with a height of above 41.60
meters has a maximum width of 9.8 meters across its three barrel
configuration similar to the Titan-3 with a bulbous payload shroud with a
last stage contained within the shroud. There are two optional, single
stage kerosene, liquid oxygen strap-ons boosters powered by one NK-33
engine each and a core of three stages. The core booster second stage
is powered by one NK-33 engine while its third stage is powered by the
kerosene, liquid oxygen RD-0124E engine which is in turn topped by the
fourth last stage. There are several configurations for this launch vehicle
that allow it to be flown without its last stage or with out its strap on
boosters. The booster has been deigned to be capable of carrying 6
metric tonnes to GTO and and less mass on GSO missions. Orion will be
capable of placing 14 tonnes into low earth Orbit. The cost of the one of
the three NK-33s based on previously released information by Aerojet is
about $1 million a piece.

Like the Tysklon-4 which probably will finally come to fruition this Orion
project and others have been open invitations for other nations and
companies to invest the funds required to make this Brazilian space
facility program a reality. With the present glut in launch services and the
lack of immediately available satellites to launch as well as the lack of
cheap highly reliable launch services available elsewhere this
development growth will by necessity be slow for the Alcantara launch
infrastructures development.

Although the United States and Brazil have signed in April 2000 an
accord for the launching of American satellites on American launch
vehicles from Alcantara there has been no further development to make
this come to fruition beyond visits by the various American contractor
organizations to consider the possibilities. With the advent of the Sea
Launch, Zenit-3 program equatorial launches essentially eclipsed the
Alcantara importance for the present commercial market.