OTRAG

Germany

From:

1977 -1983

Jatin Belani - 180303101003

Brief :
Orbital Transport-und-Raketen Aktiengesellschaft, Germany.
Manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. $200 million was
spent from 1975-1987 by Lutz Kayser in a serious attempt to
develop a low-cost satellite launcher using clusters of mass-
produced pressure-fed liquid propellant modules. The project was
finally squelched by the German government under pressure from
the Soviet and French.
Status: Retired 1983. 
First Launch: 1977-05-18.
 Last Launch: 1983-09-19.
In order to exploit this low-cost rocket technology on a commercial
basis Kayser founded OTRAG (Orbital Transport und Raketen AG)
in Stuttgart. It was the world's first commercial launcher
development, production and launch company.
Specifications :
 Thrust: 25,000 N (5,000 lbf)
 Oxidizer: High Density Acid (HDA) (50% N2O4- 50% HNO3)
Den: 1.66 gr/cm^3
 Fuel: Diesel fuel or Kerosene
 Specific Impulse: First stage - 270 seconds, Stages 2 and 3 -
297 seconds vacuum
 Injection pressure: 40 - 15 bar
 Thrust control: 100% - 40 %
 Pressurization: Compressed air, 66% tank filling in blow-down
mode
 Injector: Radial like on like
 Chamber cooling: Ablative phenolic
 Mass total: 1,500 kg
 Mass empty: 150 kg
 Material of injector, valves, bulkheads: AlMg5
 Material of cylindrical tank sections: cold-rolled low-carbon
stainless steel
 Dimensions: Diameter 0.27 m, Length: 16 m
Design

OTRAG CRPU
Various OTRAG rockets could be built up from the company's
CRPUs (Common Rocket
Propulsion Unit). A sounding
rocket would bundle four or
more CRPUs in parallel,
topped with the payload. An
orbital launcher would use
dozens to hundreds of
CRPUs, depending on
payload mass. The launcher
would then stage by dropping
outer CRPUs, leaving the
interior ones to continue with
payload.
A CRPU was essentially a
steel tube, 27 cm in diameter
and 16 meters long, joined
from a few shorter tubes. The
CRPU was divided into three
sections by aluminium
bulkheads, with additional
stiffening rings between
bulkheads. Forward, the
majority of the tube contained
a mixture of nitric acid
and nitrogen tetroxide
oxidisers. Next was a section
of kerosene fuel. This was commercial-grade kerosene, not the
more expensive RP-1. Last was the engine section. A fuel line
carried nitric acid around the kerosene, into the engine.
The design of the CRPU was extremely simple. The tubing was
strong enough that the propellants were fed to the engine
by pressure alone .This eliminated the need for turbopumps. The
engine was ablatively cooled, eliminating the need for fine fuel
passages and heat-resistant kerosene. The engine did not gimbal;
instead, the vehicle was steered by throttling one side's CRPUs
versus the opposite side. Thus, the engine was simply built into
the tube walls, with the only mechanisms being the throttling
valves. No separate pressurising system was included; the tanks
were simply left with an ullage space, which was then filled with
gas to a few hundred psi. Because of the narrow tubing, the
bulkheads between sections could be simple plates, instead of
domes like virtually all other rocket stages. There was no ignition
system; instead, a slug of furfuryl alcohol was injected before the
kerosene. The furfuryl alcohol ignited spontaneously upon contact
with the nitric acid.
The use of ablative cooling, high-pressure steel construction, and
large "empty" spaces meant that a CRPU was heavy, with
relatively low performance. The diameter of the tubing also put a
hard limit on the engine diameter, preventing use of an efficient,
high-expansion nozzle for the upper stages. However, ganging
CRPUs into three stages was sufficient to reach orbit. Meanwhile,
the low cost of each CRPU, after the economies of scale  gained
by producing hundreds or possibly thousands of them per year,
would have still left the vehicle cheaper than its contemporaries.
The company's baseline launcher design claimed to lift one metric
ton to orbit. It would have consisted of a third stage core of four
CRPUs, surrounded by a second stage of twelve CRPUs, in turn
surrounded by the first stage's 48 CRPUs.[citation needed] Larger
vehicles and capacities would be achieved with greater numbers
of CRPUs, possibly including several hundred per flight for a
heavy launcher.
The company forecast that CRPUs would eventually be so cheap,
recovering and refurbishing a launcher would be no better than
simply building more units.[citation needed] The use of storable
propellants and few moving parts meant that launch-site
operations would also be very simple. These advantages were
expected to overcome the disadvantages of small specific
impulse and payload fraction.

Stages:

 Stage 1
48 x Otrag.
 Gross Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). 
Empty Mass: 150 kg (330 lb). 
Thrust (vac): 26.960 kN (6,061 lbf).
 Isp: 297 sec. 
Burn time: 140 sec. Is
p(sl): 240 sec. 
Diameter: 0.27 m (0.88 ft).
 Span: 0.27 m (0.88 ft). Length: 16.00 m (52.00 ft). 
Propellants: N2O4/Kerosene. No Engines:
1. Engine: Otrag. Other designations: CPRU.
 Status: Out of Production. Clustered to form Otrag launch
vehicles. Pressure-fed, using cheapest possible propellants.
Injection pressure: 40 - 15 bar; Thrust control: 100% - 40 %;
Pressurization: Compressed air 66% tank filling in blow-down
mode; Injector: Radial like on like; Chamber cooling: Ablative
phenolic; Material of injector, valves, bulkheads: AlMg5;
Material of cylindrical tank sections: cold rolled low carbon
stainless steel.

 Stage 2
12 x Otrag. 
Gross Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). 
Empty Mass: 150 kg (330 lb).
 Thrust (vac): 26.960 kN (6,061 lbf).
 Isp: 297 sec.
 Burn time: 140 sec.
 Isp(sl): 240 sec.
 Diameter: 0.27 m (0.88 ft). 
Span: 0.27 m (0.88 ft)
. Length: 16.00 m (52.00 ft). 
Propellants: N2O4/Kerosene.
 No Engines: 1. Engine: Otrag. Other designations:
CPRU. Status: Out of Production. Clustered to form Otrag
launch vehicles. Pressure-fed, using cheapest possible
propellants. Injection pressure: 40 - 15 bar; Thrust control:
100% - 40 %; Pressurization: Compressed air 66% tank filling
in blow-down mode; Injector: Radial like on like; Chamber
cooling: Ablative phenolic; Material of injector, valves,
bulkheads: AlMg5; Material of cylindrical tank sections: cold
rolled low carbon stainless steel.

 Stage 3
4 x Otrag.
 Gross Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb).
 Empty Mass: 150 kg (330 lb).
 Thrust (vac): 26.960 kN (6,061 lbf).
 Isp: 297 sec. 
Burn time: 140 sec.
 Isp(sl): 240 sec. 
Diameter: 0.27 m (0.88 ft).
 Span: 0.27 m (0.88 ft). 
Length: 16.00 m (52.00 ft).
 Propellants: N2O4/Kerosene.
 No Engines: 1. Engine: Otrag. Other designations:
CPRU. Status: Out of Production. Clustered to form Otrag
launch vehicles. Pressure-fed, using cheapest possible
propellants. Injection pressure: 40 - 15 bar; Thrust control:
100% - 40 %; Pressurization: Compressed air 66% tank filling
 in blow-down mode; Injector: Radial like on like; Chamber
cooling: Ablative phenolic; Material of injector, valves,
bulkheads: AlMg5; Material of cylindrical tank sections: cold
rolled low carbon stainless steel.

Otrag Launches :
1977 May 18 - . 08:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Kapani
Tonneo. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight
1 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Apogee: 15 km (9
mi). Four-module test vehicle, 6 m long. Propulsion test.
Reached 20 km altitude. 100% successful..

1978 May 19 - . 22:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Kapani

Tonneo. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight
2 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Apogee: 30 km (18
mi). Four-module test vehicle, 6 m long. High altitude night
test. Reached 150 km altitude..

1978 June 5 - . 11:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Kapani

Tonneo. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG. FAILURE: Failure. Heeled over
and crashed after a few seconds.. Failed Stage: 1.

 Otrag Flight
3 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Apogee: 0 km (0 mi).
Four module test vehicle, 12 m long. Pitch and yaw control
test. Attempt to reach 100 km, but veered off course on
launch due to a valve on one unit being stuck at 50% thrust..

1981 March 1 - . 09:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.
  Otrag Flight
4 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Apogee: 150 km (90
mi). Maximum range single stage test, reached 300 km..

1981 June 7 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 5 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. High

acceleration test, 20 % propellant loading.

1981 September 17 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 6 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Engine

induced roll moment test.

1981 October 1 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 7 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Burn to

depletion test.

1981 October 24 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 8 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG.

Oxidizer depletion first (rough).

1981 November 19 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 9 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Fuel

depletion first test (smooth).

1981 December 12 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.
  Otrag Flight 10 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. TV
onboard camera test.

1982 June 2 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 11 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Deep

throttling test (1 ton thrust).

1982 June 24 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 12 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Early

cut-off and destruct.

1982 September 2 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 13 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Roll

control test (<1 N m).

1982 September 11 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 14 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. Stage

separation simulation.

1982 November 10 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 15 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG. 60

degree inclination launch.

1982 November 16 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.
  Otrag Flight 16 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG.
Alternative oxidizer (RFNA).

1982 December 9 - . Launch Site: Tawiwa. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG.

 Otrag Flight 17 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: OTRAG.

Alternative fuel (JP-4).

1983 September 19 - . 05:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Kiruna. Launch

Vehicle: OTRAG. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.

 Otrag Flight
18 - . Nation: Germany. Agency: DLR, OTRAG. Apogee: 4.00
km (2.40 mi). 1-3-B 4x9m Test mission.

All the Launches carried out was for

test purpose.
No real time space mission carried out.