The Astris was an upper stage developed by ERNO Raumfahrttechnik GmbH and MBB as the third stage of the Europa 1 launch vehicle.[1][2][3] It was the German contribution to the project and only flew activated four times. The high failure rate of the three and four stage rocket meant that the project was cancelled.[4][5]
On November 29, 1968, its inaugural flight, the Astris third stage exploded.[6][7] On the second attempt on July 1969, the Astris engine failed to start.[6][7] On the third attempt on June 11, 1970, the stage performed correctly, but the fairing failed to separate.[7][6]
On November 5, 1971, the Europa II launched from CSG ELA-1, had a mishap due to structural failure of the third stage.[8][9] After this last failure the project was definitely cancelled.[8]
Details
The stage measured 3.36 m with a diameter of 2 m, and had an empty mass of 610 kg.[4] Propellant (N2O4/Aerozine-50) mass was 2760 kg, and the single Astris engine produced 23.3 kN of thrust.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Propulsion Systems and Launch Vehicles". Deutsches Museum. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ^ "Astris engine". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Europa". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ a b c "Astris". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ Serra, Jean-Jacques. "Europa launchers". Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ^ a b c "Europa-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ a b c "Europa I". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ a b "Europa II". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Europa-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
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