[AR] Re: Size question
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 13:34:54 -0400 (EDT)
On Tue, 31 May 2016, John Dom wrote:
Very interesting question, rarely replied: which is at present the
smallest launcher to orbit or to escape, solid or liquid, SSTO or
multistage or whatever.
Depends a lot on definitions. In particular, (a) is "smallest" by mass or
by length, and (b) does "at present" include the past?
Historically, Lambda 4S still holds the title for the lightest orbital
launcher, by a small margin, with Vanguard the runner-up; Black Arrow was
the shortest, with the Shtil 1 (a Russian SLBM) not much longer (Volna,
another Russian SLBM, is slightly shorter than Shtil 1 but never had a
fully successful orbital launch). NOTS 1, aka Project Pilot and Notsnik,
would beat both if you disregard the size and mass of the Skyray fighter
that launched it, *and* disregard the considerable uncertainty about
whether it ever actually achieved orbit.
For escape, hmm, less data on this one. Might have been Juno II (one
successful launch to escape, Pioneer 4) at 24m long and 55t -- shorter and
lighter than the Mu 3S-II. (Juno II was a Jupiter IRBM with the spinning
upper-stage cluster of a Jupiter-C added on top.)
If you insist on currently-operational launchers, hmm, might be Pegasus XL
to orbit (if you overlook the launch aircraft, and duck the question of
whether Pegasus is truly operational any more) and Minotaur V to escape.
Pegasus with a kick stage could launch a small payload to escape but I
don't think anybody has ever done that.
Henry
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