Vector-H
Size

Function	Smallsat launcher
Manufacturer	Vector Launch
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	3.5-4.5 Million USD
Height	19.5 m (64 ft)
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Mass	11,910 kg (26,260 lb)
Stages	2/3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	290 kg (640 lb)
Payload to SSO
Mass	95 kg (209 lb)^[1]

Associated rockets
Family	Vector (rocket family)
Comparable	Electron, Falcon 1, Firefly Alpha, Prime, Miura 5
Launch history
Status	Canceled
Launch sites	Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (planned) Spaceport Camden (planned) Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 46 (planned)

First stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Powered by	6 x LP-1
Maximum thrust	39,336 lbf (174,980 N)
Propellant	Propylene / LOX
Second stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Powered by	1 X LP-3
Maximum thrust	1,135 lbf (5,050 N)
Propellant	Propylene / LOX
Third stage
Diameter	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Propellant	Solid fuel

[edit on Wikidata]

Vector-H (Vector Heavy)^[1] was a planned two-stage or three-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle in development by the American aerospace company Vector Launch to cover the commercial small satellite launch segment (CubeSats). It was planned to be an expanded version of the Vector-R rocket, more than doubling the payload capacity. After Vector Launch ceased operations in December 2019, the future development of the rocket is unofficially canceled.

Design

Vector-H would have used two stages, both 1.2 m in diameter, filled with Propylene/LOX propellant. The main body of the rocket was planned to be constructed using a lightweight carbon composite material.

The launch vehicle's first stage would have been powered by six LP-1 LOX/propylene engines, delivering 81,000 newtons of force. The second stage would have been powered by one LP-3 LOX/propylene engine, delivering 4,400 newtons of force. The engines used a 3D-printed engine injector, designed with help from NASA's Science, Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD) Flight Opportunities program. This allows the injector to be produced as a single piece of hardware, instead of as individual components. The vehicle was also planned to include an optional third stage powered by a solid rocket motor. This would have allowed the upper stage to boost micro satellites into a higher orbit.^[1]

Vector-HE1

The Vector-HE1 planned variant was to have the same body as the standard Vector-H but include an electric powered third stage.^[2]

Intended usage

Vector-H was designed to launch a 95 kg (210 lb) payload to a 450 km (280 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit, suitable for CubeSats and other small payloads. The cost would have been less than US$5 million, a price point that the company hoped will allow it to attract one hundred launches per year. Customers could have choose to encapsulate their spacecraft in payload fairings provided by the company, which could be easily attached to the rocket shortly before launch, in several different configurations, such as fitting CubeSats dispensers or multiple satellites in a single fairing.

Vector would have used on-site payload integration for the early launches. However it expected to be able to integrate payloads at their Arizona and California Payload Facilities and ship them to their launch sites.

Launch sites

Vector Space planned to use the LC-46 launch site in Florida, Spaceport Camden, and Pacific Spaceport Complex.^[1] Additionally Vector Space investigated adding more minimal infrastructure launch pads either located on land in the US, or to launch the rocket from barges on the ocean.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-03-27.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Vector". Space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-03-27.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

v t e Orbital launch systems developed in the United States
Active	Atlas V**^†† Delta IV Heavy^†† Electron Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Minotaur I IV V C Pegasus XL RS1^† SLS Block 1 Starship^† Vulcan Centaur
In development	Antares 330 Daytona Firefly Beta New Glenn Neutron Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Terran R
Retired	Antares 110/120/130/230/230+^††† Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" H-I* Juno I Juno II LauncherOne N-I* N-II* Pilot Rocket 3 Saturn I IB V Scout Space Shuttle SPARK Sparta Terran 1 Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Vanguard
* - Japanese projects using US rockets or stages ** - uses Russian engines ^† - never succeeded ^†† - no new orders accepted ^††† - used Ukrainian first stage

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Delta IV Heavy Electron Epsilon Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H-IIA H3^† Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica-1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 11H LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased RS1^† Shavit 2 Simorgh^† SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Starship^† Tianlong-2 Unha Vega original C Vulcan Centaur Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 2
In development	Antares 330 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Eris Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Qaem-100 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Diamant Dnepr Energia Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG Zhuque 1^†
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

Design

Vector-HE1

Intended usage

Launch sites

See also

References