A Titan IV in combination with the Centaur upper stage is chosen as
the launch vehicle for Asterius. Other vehicles, such as Arianne and
Atlas, were considered, but are not able to provide the necessary
launch energy to escape the Earth. The trajectory chosen to send
Asterius to Europa begins with a launch energy
C3=29.376 km
/s
.
The Titan IV/Centaur is the only vehicle
capable of delivering this launch energy, and then accelerating
Asterius out of Earth orbit on its trajectory. For a spacecraft of
total wet mass 3475.4 kg, the maximum launch energy that the
Titan IV/Centaur, with solid rocket motors, can provide is
approximately C3=32 km
/s
[1].
This allows for either a 9.59%
increase in required launch energy or a 4.63% increase in current
spacecraft mass. The payload fairing is 5.1 m in diameter and has a
height ranging from 15.2 m-26.2 m, which provide ample accommodations
for Asterius, whose maximum width is 1.1 m, and maximum height is
6.4 m.
The Titan family is a proven and reliable family of launch vehicles. It boasts a successful launch rate of 93.4%; specifically 90.9% for the Titan IV as of 1994 [1]. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most expensive vehicles. Its 1995 fiscal year cost was 248 million U.S. dollars.
The launch date of Project Asterius is set for March 23, 2004 from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at an inclination of
28.6
.
However, the Titan IV requires a launch preparation period of
33 months. This dictates launch operations to ensue August of 2001.