Martian Positioning System (MPS)

 

Propulsion Systems:

Due to the expertise across the globe in launching vehicles into space, we have decided to outsource our launch to the lowest bidder.  Our main preferment for location continues to be Cape Canaveral, Florida and our budget takes into consideration the co-use/co-operation of facilities and equipment.  Both rockets old and new would work for this operation such as the Saturn V (which is now obsolete but has a payload capacity of 118,000 kg) and the Ares V (which has a payload of 188,000 kg, but is still early in development).  Current statistics show the best rocket based on payload capacity and performance for the Hohmann Transfer of our GPS satellites and Rover is the Delta IV Rocket, HEAVY.  With a payload capacity of just under 14,000 kg, we are predicting a total of 6 launches with 5 launches of 4 satellites and one launch of the Delta IV-M (3,900 kg payload) for the Martian Rover carrying our GPS recievers.  Click here for a comparison of the Delta family of rockets

The Delta IV HEAVY rocket consists of 2 separate stages that make it the ideal candidate for enabling the Hohmann transfer of our payload.  The first stage, called the common booster core, uses cryogenic propellants and driven by an RS-68 engine capable of delivering 2,891 kN of thrust.  The second stage uses a cryogenic Pratt & Whitney RL10B-2 engine with enough propellant for a total burn time of roughly 850 sec. The flight software consists of a standard flight program and mission-constants database that is specifically designed to meet individual altitude and timing requirements of our mission.

We estimate that DD-1 through DD-6 will max out fuel and weight. For more details of the cost breakdown, refer to the budget and timeline section.