Interorbital Systems NEPTUNE Rocket

[Michel Van]

Do someone Remember ORTAG GmbH?
A german company that in 1970s proposed low cost modular launcher, build from cheap materials and propellants.
probably not since there efforts went nowhere...

Now the US Company Interorbital Systems (IOS) retry this with there NEPTUNE rocket, but with a twist!
The hardware used in NEPTUNE is based on french Diamant A rocket
The vehicle is build from "Common Propulsion Module" (CPM)
each CPM has three tanks, one for Helium, one for white fuming nitric acid and one for propellant turpentine (yes you read right)
The CPM pressure fed the engines: either 7,500 or 15,000 pounds thrust (Engine are Ablatively Cooled)

According IOS webpage
one CPM 2.0 - 145 kg to suborbital 310 km apogee
N1 - 6.3 kg to 310 km polar orbit using two spin stabilized upper stage, Again this like french Diamant A rocket.
N3 - 20 kg to 310 km polar orbit
N5 - 50 kg to 310 km polar orbit

N8 a Long launch vehicle, with 500-kg payload into LEO and a 100-kg payload on the surface of the Moon.

IOS offer Two mobile launch options, to launch from any land location accessible by road or any ocean location.
The Mobile Land Launch System (MLLS)
The Canister Ocean Launch System (COLS)

Source:
http://www.interorbital.com

Videos:
CPM test launch, note how launch configuration is similar to french Veronique sounding rocket !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=FZC3cHNtER4

 

[martinbayer]

Do someone Remember ORTAG GmbH?
A german company that in 1970s proposed low cost modular launcher, build from cheap materials and propellants.
probably not since there efforts went nowhere...

The resident OTRAG thread is at https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4256.msg33575.html#msg33575. BTW Lutz Kayser just passed away last November: http://www.linkayser.com/2017-11-286

Martin

 

[Michel Van]

interesting is that Lutz Kayser was involved in Interorbital Systems as consultant
also there several French engineers working at IOS, what explain some similarity to Veronique and Diamant A rocket

 

[Archibald]

No.. no.. this can't be true. It is too good to be true. Is it an April fool from you Michel ? This is not the right period of the year. Makes even worse by my banning from AH.com.

interesting is that Lutz Kayser was involved in Interorbital Systems as consultant
also there several French engineers working at IOS, what explain some similarity to Veronique and Diamant A rocket

This completely and entirely blows my mind.

As Michel Van would tell you, in my Alternate space history "Explorers" I handled the French Diamant rocket to Lockheed because it was the only pressure-fed rocket in the world (so much for Robert Truax wonderful projects). And Lutz Kayzer was involved in the deal !

Looks as if "our time line" read my TL and said "screw Lockheed, we don't need Lockheed, long live Interorbital". Un-be-lie-va-ble.

Doing research for my story I found on google books that Europa III-D (I think it was the III-D) was a cluster of Diamant boosters, the idea from Lutz Kayzer.
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4130.0.html
(dang, that was TEN YEARS AGO. time flies !)

The concept of clustering Diamants stems back from 1968, with the Supervulcain B proposal which was as big as a Soyuz rocket. It was France ultimate Diamant development, but soon Viking and Ariane went into a different direction - turbopump.

When the III-D was rejected in favor of France III-S (hello, Ariane 1), Kayser kept the idea alive and went to create OTRAG, working for very ugly people like Gaddafi and Mobutu, which alarmed many countries in the name of ballistic missile proliferation (and competition to Ariane, and space shuttle) so France, Germany and America twarthed Kayser efforts and OTRAG went belly up...

Only to rise from the ashes (like a Phoenix) as Interorbital, and bringing back Europa III-D as Michel described (Neptune).
Lutz Kayzer recently passed away.

But seriously, bringing back Diamant all those years after ? Cheap and simple technology, sure, but that was 45 years ago...

(now frantically gathering informations about Interorbital on the web.)

 

[cardonet]

interesting is that Lutz Kayser was involved in Interorbital Systems as consultant
also there several French engineers working at IOS, what explain some similarity to Veronique and Diamant A rocket

There was contacts between former LRBA engineers and Interorbital engineers two years ago
http://www.paris-normandie.fr/region/vernon--l-ex-ingenieur-du-lrba-a-la-tete-dans-les-etoiles-1-YK5396302#.Vvqn-HreIwg

 

[Archibald]

Ah crap, LRBA in Vernon has closed ?
My girlfriend is born nearby, in Mantes-la-jolie, so I'm quite familiar with that corner of the Yvelines... yey I didn't knew the place has been shut down.

 

[Michel Van]

No Archibald, it's not a April fool from me

Check there home page
http://www.interorbital.com/
and
http://www.interorbital.com/Team
also this interview
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/08/space-race-moon-google-lunar-xprize/
and this article
http://satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1600200139

oh by way
this is picture show Technician Erik Reedy ponders rocket design at Interorbital Systems (IOS) note the rocket design around him

 

[cardonet]

Ah crap, LRBA in Vernon has closed ?
My girlfriend is born nearby, in Mantes-la-jolie, so I'm quite familiar with that corner of the Yvelines... yey I didn't knew the place has been shut down.

The liquid propulsion department had been transferred to SEP (now Safran) since 1971. This part of the Vernon site is still active.

 

[Archibald]

And the laboratory itself has moved to Brittany thanks to the DGA (Brouz or bruz).

I was wrong, it was not Europa III-D but III-E.
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4130.msg163798.html#msg163798

There is an indirect legacy between Supervulcain B, Europa III-E, and OTRAG.

 

[cardonet]

About Diamant cluster

 

[Michel Van]

Merci, cardonet !

 

[cardonet]

Merci, cardonet !

You are welcome!

Another picture of the Catherine (D.4) mockup in Aviation Week

 

[Michel Van]

Three Year later
There still exist, but there concept has change drastically

The Neptune rocket is Pressure fed Engines with Oxygen and propane as propellants.
Gone are modular tanks modules and toxic propellants.

Launch Vehicles

 

[publiusr]

Good to see pressure-feds still around.

 

[vasaka]

Are they still going? did not see any launches scheduled