News 2-stage Proton announced

[IronRain]

The next generation is here! Expanding access to space with 2-stage Proton Variants

International Launch Services (ILS) announces a product line extension of the Proton Breeze M commercial launch vehicle designed to expand the addressable GEO market for cost effective launch solutions in the small and medium satellite class range (3 to 5 metric tons).

Designated as “Proton Variants,” these two additional vehicles will be optimized 2-stage versions of the time tested and flight proven Proton Breeze M launch system for exclusive commercial use by ILS. The Proton Variants initial launch capability will be established beginning in 2018 with the “Proton Medium” vehicle launching from Pad 24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The 2-stage Proton Medium Variant will have a 4-meter payload fairing and utilize the standard Proton M configuration with 6 engines on the first stage. It will be followed in 2019 by the “Proton Light” Variant. The 2-stage Proton Light will have a 4-meter payload fairing but feature only 4 engines on the first stage. Both variants will maintain use of the flight proven and time tested Breeze M upper stage for spacecraft insertion.

Source: ILS

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Interesting. Today seems to be "Rocket Announcement Day".

 

[Urwumpe]

Interesting. Today seems to be "Rocket Announcement Day".

SpaceX has not announced their rocket yet. Maybe OrbitalSciences annouces a new launch pad.

 

[GLS]

Back to the past then:

I'm all for bringing back the N1 (and making it work) or the Energiya as well.

 

[Urwumpe]

Energiya as well.

Only that one. or at least the Energia-M as well.

The N-1 is a design of the old and manpower heavy past, the Energia is at least half-way competitive. Add the Baikal flyback boosters and you'll get something that could scare Musk and Bezos.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Only that one. or at least the Energia-M as well.

The N-1 is a design of the old and manpower heavy past, the Energia is at least half-way competitive. Add the Baikal flyback boosters and you'll get something that could scare Musk and Bezos.

Scare Musk? Yes. Bezos? He'd welcome it with open arms, honestly.

 

[Urwumpe]

Scare Musk? Yes. Bezos? He'd welcome it with open arms, honestly.

Not sure there. I think he could also live well with the evil/competition that he knows.

 

[boogabooga]

Is it fair to call Breeze-M "flight proven and time tested"?

 

[Urwumpe]

Is it fair to call Breeze-M "flight proven and time tested"?

Yes. The question is just, what was proven that way.

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now: Smaller variants of Russia’s Proton rocket on the market

Khrunichev and International Launch Services, the team behind Russia’s Proton rocket, are developing two scaled-down versions of the booster in a bid to capture a wider share of the commercial launch market, the companies announced last week.
The “Proton Medium” and “Proton Light” rocket variants could launch as soon as 2018 and 2019, respectively, to carry lighter satellites into orbit at lower cost, ILS said.
The new configurations are “right-sized” for the current launch market, according to Kirk Pysher, president of ILS, as some commercial communications satellites are getting smaller with the introduction of innovations like all-electric propulsion, which does away with the need to put hefty liquid fuel loads on spacecraft.

“Currently, Proton is focused strictly on the heavy-lift market, where we are highly competitive,” Pysher said. “The Proton variants will provide (a) diverse launch capability for the customer with a two-stage launch vehicle that provides a very elegant solution to diversifying our capability across the small and medium-class payload mass.”

(To me, the photo looks like an image from the set of Thunderbirds :lol