100Kg nanosat launcher uses

[ouroboros]

If a country were suddenly trying to develop a 100 kilogram sun synchronous orbit capable nanosat/microsat three stage all solid expendable civilian launcher of completely fresh design, should one suspect that there are very real military motivations behind the development, and if so, how useful would such a launcher be? The business cases for all solid expendables are fundamentally poor, and with SpaceX pushing merrily along towards Falcon-9R, you would be left with either poor business chances, or some sort of subsidy/institutional backing to make it barely viable even in a non-profit scenario. Which leaves either indirect (demonstration/acquisition of relevant production technology)(aka solid rocket pork to keep the industrial base alive) or direct military applications.

So, aside from fantasies of on-demand spysat launches, what would such a capability be used for? Without much realtime guidance performance, it wouldn't seem to be a good BMD interceptor, but might make a passable ASAT?

 

[sferrin]

Who is doing this?

 

[ouroboros]

The same one that within the last 12 months launched a new-ish all solid three stager of a heavier payload class that all but screamed "yes, we have usable ICBM capability" under a civil banner. I am deliberately avoiding naming the country here though.

 

[sferrin]

I am deliberately avoiding naming the country here though.

Obviously. Why? It's just annoying.

 

[lastdingo]

It could be an exercise in developing the industry. Just as almost every country with a new aviation industry seems to develop a turbofan trainer aircraft - clearly no smart business case in itself either.

The solid fuel detail points at ICBM development, though. Peacetime ASAT could make do with liquid fuels.

 

[ouroboros]

I am deliberately avoiding naming the country here though.

Obviously. Why? It's just annoying.

I have the vain hope this query won't surface easily with a simple google search.

 

[sferrin]

I am deliberately avoiding naming the country here though.

Obviously. Why? It's just annoying.

I have the vain hope this query won't surface easily with a simple google search.

What is the point of this thread? Why ask a question and then purposely withhold information on it? If you're worried your boss might find out and fire you then you shouldn't be asking at all.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Just a thought, but it could be something along the lines of a time critical application such as a one time use command link.