Centaur (rocket Stage) - Future Uses

Future Uses

There was a possible use of the Centaur as an upper stage on the new Delta IV Heavy rocket, which started test flights in 2004, and may have even been used as a high-energy "kick motor" for planetary probes launched on board the 125-ton Ares V, which would have seen its first flight around 2018.

The Centaur has a planned evolutionary upgrade which changes the tank diameter to 5.4 m and increases propellant load from 1.5 to 6.0 times that of the present Atlas V configuration. This diameter matches the existing Contraves-built 5.4 m payload fairing, thus eliminating many structural elements and permitting the vehicle to fly from existing launch complexes with minimal modifications. This design reverses the internal common bulkhead and streamlines many systems while permitting many existing systems and components to fly unchanged. Modular design enables multiple engine configurations from one to six RL-10s or up to three advanced next-generation high performance engines. This evolved Centaur can be flown either on existing Atlas boosters ( designated a Phase 1 configuration) or on next generation 5.4 m diameter boosters (designated Phase 2).

Performance levels for the Evolved Centaur based Phase 1 vehicles envelope all Atlas V capabilities. In certain circumstances a single Atlas booster vehicle with five solids and with an evolved Centaur upper-stage can replace a three-booster core Atlas V-Heavy (HLV). This has obvious reliability and cost benefits. Phase 2 vehicles open the door to a vastly higher performance capability. Up to 80 metric tons can be lifted to low earth orbit on a Phase 2 HLV vehicle — a substantial fraction of a Saturn V or Ares V vehicle. This performance level, mandated only by NASA crewed exploration missions, can be achieved using hardware identical to that used for traditional commercial and USG missions thus allowing development and support costs to be diluted by rate.

Studies have been conducted showing the extensibility of the basic Centaur and Evolved Centaur designs to long duration space flight for exploration purposes and even for use as a Lunar Lander. Complementing these basic performance capabilities is the ability to rate the vehicle for crewed operation. Extensive work has been conducted showing that achieving this "man-rating" is straightforward and does not mandate wholesale design changes to the Centaur vehicle.