Perigee Aerospace is a private developer and manufacturer of orbital and sub-orbital launch vehicles located in Daejeon, South Korea. The company was formally established in 2018 and has been involved in the development of small orbital rockets, such as the Blue Whale 1. They have also conducted research and development on sounding rockets for meteorological research. Perigee Aerospace aims to launch up to 40 Blue Whale 1 rockets per year and expand their capabilities in the space industry. For more information, you can visit the Perigee Aerospace Wikipedia page.
This document provides information about the Ariane 2 and Zenit-2 rockets. The Ariane 2 was a European expendable space launch vehicle that operated between 1986 and 1989 and was part of the Ariane rocket family. It had a payload capacity of 2,175 kilograms to geostationary transfer orbit. The Zenit-2 was a Ukrainian/Soviet expendable carrier rocket that was first flown in 1985 and had a payload capacity of 13-15 tons to low Earth orbit. Both rockets had successful launches and played important roles in space exploration.
Country: South Korea
The founders of Perigee Aerospace are not mentioned in the provided text.
## Funding Perigee Aerospace has received venture capital backing from leading technology investors, including Samsung Venture Investments and LB Investment (a subsidiary of LG), to support the development of their launch vehicles.[^2^][^3^]
Official website of Perigee Aerospace: Perigee Aerospace
Perigee Aerospace is a private developer and manufacturer of orbital and sub-orbital launch vehicles located in Daejeon, South Korea. The company was formally established in 2018, but work began in 2012,[1] initially with the launch of sounding rockets.[3]
As of 2019, Perigee Aerospace employed 30 people. It develops the small orbital rocket Blue Whale 1. As of 2019, the company also planned to develop a larger rocket.[2]
Vehicles
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Blue Whale 1
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The two-stage[1] Blue Whale 1 is a partially reusable orbital rocket in development.[6] Launching from a sea launch pad in Jeju space center in South Korea[7] it can deliver up to 170 kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 500 km. The maiden flight was planned for July 2020 but has been delayed several times. Perigee Aerospace hopes to build the capacity to launch up to 40 Blue Whale 1 rockets per year at a price of less than US$3 million. The orbital maiden flight of Blue Whale 1 is expected to take place in late 2024, preceded by a suborbital test flight scheduled for May 2024.[8]
Sounding Rockets
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Started in 2012, Perigee Aerospace began by developing and launching numerous sounding rockets for meteorological research for the Korean government. In 2018 and 2019 the company received two rounds of venture capital backing from some of South Korea's leading technology investors including Samsung Venture Investments and LB Investment (a subsidiary of LG) to support the development of Blue Whale.The company is also supported by KAIST, South Korea's top technical research institution.[9]
According to an interview posted on the website of Expedition College in March 2020, an educational program by Dong-A Science[10] Perigee Aerospace was planning to launch a suborbital sounding rocket developed in collaboration with KAIST.[11] This sounding rocket, designated Blue Whale 0.1, was launched on 29 December 2021 in order to validate the engines of the Blue Whale 1 rocket. The flight was terminated shortly after takeoff due to unexpectedly strong winds.[12]
Third flight of Blue Whale 0.1 took place 24 March 2022 from Jeju Island. It was suborbital flight test and it was successful.[13]
See also
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- Rocket Lab – New Zealand and American public spaceflight company
- Firefly Aerospace – American private aerospace company
- Virgin Orbit – Defunct American aerospace company
Links
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- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Blenkin, Max (28 October 2019). "Korean firm Perigee plans first South Australian rocket launch". Space Connect. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Henry, Caleb (23 October 2019). "Backed by Samsung, South Korean startup Perigee aims for 2020 maiden launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Plouffe, Jim (30 September 2019). "South Korean rocket startup to launch from South Australia". The Lead South Australia. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Perigee Aerospace Inc. – Introduction". Perigee Aerospace. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Mission". Perigee Aerospace. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ Perigee Space: Mission
- ^ S. Korean Startup to Construct Offshore Rocket Launch Platform in Jeju
- ^ "27세 청년이 만든 스타트업, 민간 우주발사체 국내 첫 발사 '카운트다운'" [A startup created by a 27-year-old young man launches Korea's first private space launch vehicle, 'Countdown'.]. Maekyung (in Korean). 23 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ StudyAdelaide. "Perigee Aerospace has signed an agreement to use the Southern Launch rocket facilities in South Australia". StudyAdelaide. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Cho, Seung-han (27 March 2020). "탐험대학·시민과학풀씨 참가자 모집" [Recruitment of participants for the Expedition College Citizen Science Program]. Dong-A Science (in Korean). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "알아두면 쓸모 있는 탐험멘토 Talk 2탄 ⑦ 신동윤 멘토 미니인터뷰!" [Useful to know Exploration Mentor Talk Part 2 ⑦ Mentor Shin Dong-yoon mini interview!]. Expedition College (in Korean). 8 April 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020 – via Naver.
- ^ Lim, Chang-won (29 December 2021). "Sudden gust of winds foils launch of sounding rocket built by rocket start-up". Aju Business Daily. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Blue Whale 0.1 Review". YouTube. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
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Contracts and programs
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Related
Ariane 2 was a European expendable space launch vehicle, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) between 1986 and 1989 as part of Ariane family of rockets. The principal manufacturer for the Ariane 2 was Aérospatiale, while the lead agency for its development was the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency.[4]
Development of the Ariane 2 was authorised in July 1979, months prior to the Ariane 1's first flight. Drawing heavily upon both the design and infrastructure of the Ariane 1, the new launcher was concurrently developed alongside the Ariane 3, with which it shared much of its design. It represented an advancement of the Ariane 1 rather than a replacement, but was capable of lifting even heavier payloads into Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Developed largely within a two-year window, the Ariane 2 performed its maiden flight on 31 May 1986, actually flying after its Ariane 3 sibling. During its brief service life, the final launch of the Ariane 2 having been conducted on 2 April 1989, the Ariane family had become increasingly commercially competitive, becoming the market leading heavy launch vehicle in the world by the late 1980s.
Development[edit]
In 1973, eleven nations decided to pursue joint the collaboration in the field of space exploration and formed a new pan-national organisation to undertake this mission, the European Space Agency.[5] Six years later, in December 1979, the arrival of a capable European expendable launch system was marked when the first Ariane 1 launcher was successfully launched from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.[6] The Ariane 1 soon became considered to be a capable and competitive launcher in comparison to rival platforms offered by the Soviet Union and the United States.[7] However, even prior to the launcher entering service, there was a strong desire to quickly produce improved derivatives that would be able to handle even greater payloads than Ariane 1 could. These desires would result in the creation of both the Ariane 2 and Ariane 3.[8]
While the initiative was first proposed in 1978, prior to the Ariane 1's first flight, approval to commence the first phase of development was not received until July 1979.[9] The bulk of development work on the new launcher occurred between 1980 and 1982. The Ariane 2 was designed to satisfy the future demand for the delivery of two tonne payloads into a Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).[9] According to aerospace historian Brian Harvey, in spite of the numbering sequence adopted, the Ariane 3 was the direct successor to the Ariane 1, rather than the Ariane 2, as could be logically assumed.[9] The principal agency behind the development of the Ariane 2 was the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), while the lead company for its production was the French aerospace manufacturer Aérospatiale.[10]
In order to keep costs down, CNES directed that only tested technologies could be implemented in the launcher's improvements; in fact, no budget was provided for new test series to be performed. Furthermore, it was restricted to using the existing launch pad and handling facilities established for the Ariane 1, and that there was to be no allowance for retooling of the Ariane production line.[9] However, one new piece of infrastructure that was permitted was the establishment of tracking equipment in the Ivory Coast; the existing infrastructure based in Brazil used by the Ariane 1 was less suitable due to the increased performance of the Ariane 2, which flew a different ascent profile than its predecessor.[11] Performance boosts were achieved via several different ways, such as the elongated third stage fuel tanks to carry 30 per cent more fuel, elevated combustion pressure in multiple stages, a new intertank structure that supported the addition of solid-fuel boosters, and the adoption of a new fuel mixture.[12]
The finalised Ariane 2 is largely identical to its sibling, the Ariane 3, the only major difference being the lack of additional solid rocket boosters, which gave the Ariane 3 a higher payload capacity at a greater unit cost.[4] The payload capacity of the Ariane 2 was 2,175 kilograms (4,795 lb) to a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), exceeding that of the preceding Ariane 1.
Launch history[edit]
Main article: List of Ariane launches (1979–89)
The Ariane 2 first flew on 31 May 1986, during which it carried the Intelsat VA F-14 satellite. However, the third stage had a partial ignition followed by another ignition above nominal pressure which led to the engine's failure. Because the upper stage of the Ariane 2 was shared with the other Ariane rockets, all flights were suspended until 16 September 1987. As a result of an investigation into the ignition irregularities, it was decided that installing more powerful igniters would sufficiently rectify the issue.[13] Despite this incident, the reliability of the Ariane family meant that insurance costs for the launcher decreased until they were less than that of rival American launchers.[14] Throughout the 1980s, the platform became increasingly competitive on the global stage.[14]
Following its reintroduction, five further launches of the Ariane 2 were conducted, all of which were successful. The last Ariane 2 launch occurred on 2 April 1989, successfully placing Tele-X into orbit.[2] According to Harvey, the Ariane family had become the dominant series of launchers on the world market as early as 1986.[7] Even prior to the maiden flight of the Ariane 2, the family had been able to secure the majority of the global launcher market.[14] Despite its relative success, the Ariane 2 was quickly replaced by the even more capable Ariane 4, which had resulted in the launcher only conducting a comparatively small number of launches.[15]
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Bibliography[edit]
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This article is about the rocket. For the satellite, see Zenit (satellite) § Zenit 2.
For the football team, see FC Zenit-2 Saint Petersburg.
The Zenit-2 was a Ukrainian, previously Soviet, expendable carrier rocket. First flown in 1985, it has been launched 37 times, with 6 failures. It is a member of the Zenit family of rockets and was designed by the Yuzhmash.
History[edit]
With 13–15 ton payload in LEO, it was intended as up-middle-class launcher greater than 7-ton-payload middle Soyuz and smaller than 20-ton-payload heavy Proton. Zenit-2 would be certified for crewed launches and placed in specially built launch pad at Baykonur spaceport, carrying the new crewed partially reusable Zarya spacecraft that developed in end of the 1980s but was cancelled. Also in the 1980s Vladimir Chelomey's firm proposed the never realised 15-ton Uragan spaceplane, which would have been launched by Zenit-2.
A modified version, the Zenit-2S, is used as the first two stages of the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket.[3] Launches of Zenit-2 rockets are conducted from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45/1. A second pad, 45/2, was also constructed, but was only used for two launches before being destroyed in an explosion.[4] A third pad, Site 35 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome was never completed, and work was abandoned after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[5]
The Zenit-2 had its last flight in 2004; it has been superseded by the Zenit-2M, which incorporates enhancements made during the development of the Zenit-3SL. The Zenit-2 has a fairly low flight rate, as the Russian government usually avoids flying national-security payloads on Ukrainian rockets. Zenit-2M itself flew only twice: in 2007 and 2011.
During the late 1990s, the Zenit-2 was marketed for commercial launches. Only one such launch was conducted, with a group of Globalstar satellites, which ended in failure after a computer error resulted in the premature cutoff of the second stage.
The second stage, called the SL-16 by western governments, along with the second stages of the Vostok and Kosmos launch vehicles, makes up about 20% of the total mass of launch debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).[6] An analysis that determined the 50 “statistically most concerning” debris objects in low Earth orbit determined that the top 20 were all SL-16 upper stages.[7]
Launch history[edit]
Main article: List of Zenit launches
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The Tsyklon-2 (Ukrainian: Циклон-2, lit. 'Cyclone-2'), also known as Tsiklon-2 and Tsyklon-M (known as SL-11 by the United States DoD), GRAU index 11K69, was a Soviet, later Ukrainian, orbital carrier rocket used from the 1960s to the late 2000s. The rocket had 106 launches, one suborbital and 105 orbital, with only one failure and 92 consecutive successful launches, from 27 December 1973 with the launch of Kosmos 626 to 25 June 2006 with the final flight of the Tsyklon-2, which makes this launcher most reliable within rocket launched more than 100 times.
History[edit]
A derivative of the R-36 ICBM, and a member of the Tsyklon family, the Tsyklon-2 made its maiden flight on 6 August 1969, and conducted 106 flights, the last one occurring on 24 June 2006. It was the most reliable Soviet/Russian carrier rocket ever used, and launched more than 100 times having failed only once, and the second most reliable carrier rocket overall, behind the Atlas II that was launched only 63 times.[2] Along with other R-36 family member Tsyklon-3, the Tsyklon-2 was retired in favor of new-generation and all-Russian carrier rockets, such as the Angara and Soyuz-2.
Description[edit]
Like the Tsyklon-3, the Tsyklon-2 was derived from the R-36 Scarp ICBM. However, it did not have a third stage, like the Tsyklon-3 did, also it was slightly shorter and had a lower weight mass when fueled.[3]