Castor (rocket engine)
Castor is the name of a class of American solid rocket motors from the US manufacturer Northrop Grumman Space Systems (formerly Thiokol ).
development
The development goes back to the year 1959, when inexpensive rocket stages for the Scout rocket as a second stage or the Little Joe-1 were required. The missile is based on the military sergeant missile from which the original Pollux and Castor versions were developed. The Pollux engine was not developed further, while the Castor engine experienced a further increase in performance as the Castor II. The Castor IV variant is a new development from the 1970s that is significantly larger and more powerful than its predecessor.
These solid fuel rockets were used most as boosters for the Delta , where three to nine of these engines supported the first start phase at almost every start. Castor rockets were also used to enhance the performance of the Atlas IIAS and to propel a number of sounding rockets . They were also used in seven bundles in the Conestoga rocket.
Important development phases were:
- Pollux
- Castor I: in use 1960–1972 approx. 365 pieces
- Castor II: in use 1960–1994 approx. 1045 pieces; License production also in Japan for HI
- Castor IV: (versions A without control, B with thrust vector control)
- Castor IVA-XL: (extended IVA with approx. 30% more thrust)
Types
Specific performance data are presented from different sources with slight differences (e.g. due to different conversions, etc.)
| Castor I | Castor II | Castor IIA | Castor IV | Castor IVA | Castor IVA XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | TX-33-52 | TX-354-5 | TX-354-3 | TX-526 | TX-780 | TX-780 |
| Thrust ( kN ) in a vacuum | 240 | 269 | 400 | 424 | 507 | 595 |
| Burning time (s) | 27 | 37 | 40 | 56 | 52 | 58 |
| Step length (m) | 7.32 | 7.67 | 6.31 | 10.50 | 13.50 | 13.25 |
Castor IVA were first used in 1989 in a Delta rocket and since December 15, 1993 as a booster for an Atlas IIAS . Different cladding and nozzle shapes are used to adapt to the respective use as a booster or stage.
Castor 120
The much larger version of Castor 120 , which as a first stage of Athena was launched rocket on 22 August 1997 for the first time is developmentally unrelated to the older Castor rocket motors, but based on the first stage of the Peacekeeper - intercontinental ballistic missile . The Castor 120 rocket motor also serves as the first stage of the Taurus rocket.
Castor 30
The Castor 30 booster is a greatly reduced Castor 120 booster. The number 30 stands for 30,000 pounds of fuel. Castor 30 is used as the second stage in the Antares rocket. The Castor 30 booster is also used as the second stage of the Athena 1c and as the third stage of the Athena 2c.
On December 9th, 2009 a static burning test with a Castor 30 booster took place for the first time.
Web links
- Castor and Castor 4A in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- Andrews Space & Technology: Castor IV ( Memento from August 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Raumfahrer.net: Castor 30 successfully tested for Taurus II rocket