U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet
EVOLVED EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE
Mission The Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) is the Air Force space lift
modernization program. EELV will reduce the cost of launching by at
least 25 percent over current Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch
systems. Part of these savings result from the government now
procuring commercial launch services and turning over responsibility
for operations and maintenance of the launch complexes to the
contractors. This new spacelift strategy reduced the government’s
traditional involvement in launch processing while saving a
projected $6 billion in launch costs between the years 2002 and
2020. In addition, EELV improves space launch operability and
standardization. The mission statement for the EELV program is:
“Partner with industry to develop a national launch capability that
satisfies both government and commercial payload requirements and
reduces the cost of space launch by at least 25 percent.”. The
EELV program’s two primary objectives are to: 1) increase the U.S.
space launch industry’s competitiveness in the international
commercial launch services market and 2) implement acquisition
reform initiatives resulting in reduced government resources
necessary to manage system development, reduced development cycle
time, and deployment of commercial launch services.
Features The two
primary launch contractors, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, provide the
following information on their respective EELV variants: Atlas V
results from the culmination of Lockheed Martin's desire to employ
the best practices from both the Atlas and Titan programs into an
evolved and highly competitive commercial and government launch
system for the 21st Century. Atlas V builds on the design
innovations that will be demonstrated on Atlas III and incorporates
a structurally stable booster propellant tank, enhanced payload
fairing options, and optional strap-on solid rocket boosters. Atlas
V achieved ILC in August 2002. The Delta IV family blends new
and mature technology to launch virtually any size medium or heavy
payload into space. It is composed of five vehicles based on a
common booster core (CBC) first stage. Delta IV second stages are
derived from the Delta III second stage, using the same RL10B-2
engine, but with two sizes of expanded fuel and oxidizer tanks,
depending on the model. In designing the five Delta IV
configurations, Boeing conducted extensive discussions with
government and commercial customers concerning their present and
future launch requirements. Proven technical features and processes
were carried over from earlier Delta vehicles to Delta IV. New
technologies and processes were incorporated where they added
capability or reduced cost. Delta IV achieved ILC in November
2002.
Background The initial phase of the EELV program, Low Cost
Concept Validation (LCCV), was successfully completed in November
1996. LCCV emphasized competition in preliminary designs and risk
reduction demonstrations. Four $30 million contracts were awarded
during this phase to Alliant Techsystems, the Boeing Defense and
Space Group, Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA), and McDonnell
Douglas Aerospace. During the second phase, Pre-Engineering and
Manufacturing Development, two $60 million, 17-month contracts were
awarded to Boeing and Lockheed Martin to continue refining their
system concepts and complete a detailed system design. EELV
phase three began in October 1998 with both Boeing and
Lockheed-Martin each being awarded a Development Agreement and an
Initial Launch Services (ILS) contract for a total of $3.0 billion
worth of contracts. Under the Development Agreements, the
contractors completed engineering and manufacturing development of
the launch vehicle system, launch pads, satellite interfaces,
support infrastructure, as well as demonstrate that the system meets
all government requirements. The ILS contracts have been awarded to
procure launch services for 28 Government missions between the two
contractors (TBC, 19; LMC, 9) from 2002 – 2008. In September
2000, it was determined that softening in satellite launch demand no
longer supported a need for two west coast launch providers. As a
result, Boeing will continue development plans to provide launch
services at both coasts, while LMC will launch solely from the east
coast, moving two of its originally awarded launches to TBC. Both
contractors will continue with Heavy Lift development and test
programs, but as of the ILS contract, only TBC has been awarded a
heavy lift launch. The first three EELV missions were all
successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station Florida. The
inaugural launch, Lockheed-Martin’s Atlas V Medium Lift Vehicle,
lifted a commercial Eutelsat payload to orbit on 21 August 2002.
Three months later on 20 November 2002, Boeing followed with a Delta
IV commercial Eutelsat mission of their own. Boeing also had the
honor of the first government launch, the Delta IV DSCS A3 mission
on 10 March 2003. The first Heavy Lift Vehicle launch (Delta IV HLV
Demo) is scheduled for September 2003 and will be followed by the
first west coast launch December 2003. The second and third block
buy of launch services are expected to be awarded in the spring and
fall of 2003 respectively.
Point of
Contact Air Force Space Command,
Public Affairs Office; 150 Vandenberg St., Suite 1105; Peterson AFB,
CO 80914-4500; DSN 692-3731, or (719) 554-3731.
April 2003
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