After the definition of the target, the next step is the definition of the launch site and launcher. The choice depends on the target orbit and the availability of a suitable launch vehicle.
According to these boundaries, the potential launch sites were shortlisted among Vandenberg (USA - 34°43′57″N 120°34′05″W), Kourou (French Guyana - 5.305°N 52.834°W) and Plesetsk (Russian Federation - 62°57′35″N, 40°41′2″E). The reason why the Baikonur Cosmodorme was not considered as a possible choice, was the possibility that Russia will abandon all facilities for Baikonur and launch all satellites from Plesetsk in the next 5 years, based on news reports.
Another important feature of the desired launch vehicle should be the final stage restarting capacity. Our approach is integrating all de-orbiting subsystems onto the upper stage and using the upperstage for propulsion purposes, which requires restartability. Moreover, several maneuvers will be required to reach the target orbit, which will also depend on restartability.
Another parameter that affects the choice of launcher, is the amount of propellant capacity of the launcher’s upper stage. The upperstage is required to inject a satellite into orbit and also move our system to the target orbit and back to a LEO orbit for the application of the tether system. As the amount of propellant used in this process will depend on the upper stage itself, the analysis will be done with one upper stage. If the upper stage was unable to perform our mission, a secondary upper stage with larger propellant capacity will be used.
Based on all these parameters, a list of active launch vehicles was created, as outlined in Table . This list summarizes the polar launch capability, upper stage properties and the availability of a model in STK. Considering all these required characteristics, the Soyuz vehicle with the fregat upper stage was chosen as the prime launch vehicle. The Proton -M launch vehicle with the Breeze-M upper stage will be considered as a secondary alternative system. The Plesetsk cosmodorme was chosen as the launch site for both vehicles. The Plesetsk cosmodrome is a military site in the North-West Russia at some 800 km from Moscow.
Figure - Plesetsk Cosmodrome (6)
Table - Launch vehicles and launch sites (6)
Launch Vehicle
|
Country
|
PEO characteristics
|
Payload (kg)
|
Launch Site
|
Upper Stage
|
Dimensions
(m × m)
|
Dry Mass (t)
|
Propulsion
|
Propellant Mass (t)
|
Total Lift-off mass (t)
|
Restartable
|
STK model?
|
Dnepr-1
|
Ukraine
|
800 km, I = 87.3
|
400
|
Baikonur
|
1 * 3
|
2,35
|
RD-869 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
1,91
|
4,26
|
N
|
Y
|
Zenit
|
Russia
|
200 km, I = 99
|
11380
|
Baikonur
|
10.4 * 3.9
|
8,3
|
(Kerosene-LO2)
|
-
|
89,9
|
N
|
Y
|
CZ-2D
|
China
|
200/400 km, I = 90
|
2750/1175
|
JSLC
|
10.4 * 3.35
|
4
|
YF-22 B (UDMH-N2O4)
|
36
|
40
|
N
|
N
|
CZ-2C
|
China
|
600 km, I = 90
|
800
|
JLSC
|
7.5 * 3.35
|
4
|
YF-22 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
35
|
39
|
N
|
N
|
Taurus-XL
|
US
|
400 km, I = 98
|
880/1050
|
VAFB
|
2.1 * 0.97
|
|
Solid
|
-
|
0,98
|
N
|
Y
|
Minotaur
|
US
|
740 km, I = 98.6
|
335
|
VAFB
|
1.34 * 0.97
|
0,126
|
Solid
|
0,771
|
0,897
|
N
|
Y
|
Taurus
|
US
|
800 km, I = 98.2
|
580-600/740
|
VAFB
|
1.34 * 0.98
|
|
Solid
|
0,77
|
0,893
|
N
|
Y
|
CZ-2E/ETS
|
China
|
1000km, I = 86
|
4930
|
XLSC
|
2.936 * 1.7
|
0,541
|
SPTM-17 (solid)
|
5,444
|
5,98
|
N
|
Y
|
Ariane 5
|
EU
|
800 km, i = 98.6
|
9500
|
ELA3
|
3.356 * 3.936
|
1,25
|
AESTUS (MMH-N2O4)
|
9,7
|
11
|
Y
|
Y
|
GSLV
|
India
|
407 km, I = 51.6
|
5000
|
SHAR
|
8.7 * 2.9
|
2,2
|
KVD - 1 (LH2-LO2)
|
12,5
|
14,7
|
Y
|
N
|
PSLV
|
India
|
800 km, I = 99.1
|
1200
|
SHAR
|
2.65 * 1.34
|
0,92
|
PS-4/L2 (MMH-Mon-3)
|
2
|
2,92
|
Y
|
Y
|
Delta-4H
|
US
|
500 km, I = 90
|
21700
|
VAFB
|
13.7 * 5.13
|
3,49
|
RL 10B-2 (LH2-LO2)
|
27,2
|
30,69
|
Y
|
Y
|
Delta-4M
|
US
|
500 km, I = 90
|
7350-11700
|
VAFB
|
12.2 * 4.07 or 13.7 * 5.13
|
2.850/3.490
|
RL10B-2 (LH2-LO2)
|
20.410/27.200
|
23.260/30.690
|
Y
|
Y
|
Delta-2
|
US
|
833 km, I = 98.7
|
1591-3186
|
VAFB
|
5.88 * 2.44
|
0,95
|
AJ 10-118 K (Aerozine-N2O4)
|
6
|
6,95
|
Y
|
Y
|
ATLAS 2, 2A
|
US
|
185 km, I = 90
|
5510-6170
|
VAFB
|
10.06 * 3.05
|
1,84
|
RL-10A-3-3A or RL-10A-4 (LH2-LO2)
|
16,74
|
18,8
|
Y
|
Y
|
ATLAS 5
|
US
|
189 km, I = 90
|
9050-10750
|
VAFB
|
12.68 * 3.05
|
1.914/2.106
|
RL-10A-4-2 (LH2-LO2)
|
20.672/20.830
|
22.586/22.936
|
Y
|
Y
|
CZ-3
|
China
|
200 km, I = 90
|
3000
|
XLSC
|
7.48 * 2.25
|
2
|
YF-73 (LH2-LO2)
|
8,5
|
10,5
|
Y
|
Y
|
CZ-4
|
China
|
900 km, I = 99
|
1650-2800
|
TSLC
|
1.92 * 2.9
|
1
|
YF-40 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
14,15
|
15,15
|
Y
|
N
|
Soyuz-ST
|
Russia
|
900 km, I = 90
|
3850
|
Baikonur
|
1.5 * 3.35
|
1
|
S5-92 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
5,35
|
6,535
|
20
|
Y
|
Vega
|
EU
|
700 km, I = 80
|
1580
|
ELA1
|
2.04 * 1.952
|
0,418
|
(UDMH-N2O4)
|
0,55
|
0,968
|
5
|
Y
|
Soyuz-Ikar-Fregat
|
Russia
|
700 km, I = 90
|
3000
|
Plesetsk
|
2.61 * 2.72 or 1.5 * 3.35
|
2.352/1
|
UDMH-N2O4
|
0.3-0.9/5.35
|
3.29/6.535
|
20
|
Y
|
Proton-M
|
Russia
|
170 km, I = 72.7
|
19975
|
Baikonur
|
2.61 * 4.1
|
2,37
|
UDMH-N2O4
|
19,8
|
-
|
8
|
Y
|
Falcon 1
|
US
|
700 km, I = 85
|
450
|
VAFB
|
-
|
|
Kestrel (RP-1-LO2)
|
|
|
Y
|
Y
|
H-2A
|
Japan
|
800 km, I = 98.6
|
4400
|
Tanegashim
|
10.7 * 4
|
3
|
LE-5B (LH2-LO2)
|
17
|
20
|
Y
|
N
|
Falcon 9
|
US
|
900 km, I = 80
|
7246
|
VAFB
|
-
|
|
Merlin (RP-1-LO2)
|
|
|
2
|
N
|
CZ-3B/3C
|
China
|
800 km, I = 90
|
6000
|
XLSC
|
12.375 * 3
|
0,3
|
YF-75 (LH2-LO2)
|
18,193
|
20,6
|
2
|
Y
|
Soyuz-2
|
Russia
|
820 km, I = 98.7
|
4350/4900
|
Plesetsk
|
1.5 * 3.35
|
1
|
S5-92 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
5,35
|
6,535
|
20
|
Y
|
Proton-K
|
Russia
|
SSO
|
4600
|
Baikonur
|
5.5/6.3 * 3.7
|
2.500/3.370
|
Kerosene or Sintin-LO2
|
14,8
|
17.3/18.2
|
7
|
Y
|
ROCKOT
|
Russia
|
800 km, I = 90
|
1340
|
Plesetsk
|
2.61 * 2.5
|
1,6
|
11DM58 (UDMH-N2O4)
|
4,9
|
6,5
|
8
|
Y
|
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