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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCAspace | 6/8 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARCAspace | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T12:56:53.489424+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Commercial EcoRocket === While the organization’s main focus remains on the development of the EcoRocket orbital launchers, they have begun work on several other systems, in order to generate technical data and revenue for the AMi program’s hardware. The Commercial EcoRocket, or CER, is a series of 10 suborbital rockets, including the two A1 interceptor variants. The series consists of the CER-160, CER-500, CER-1200, the RTV & MIRTV, and the Target Rocket (“TR”) versions of all three vehicles. The CER-160 is the smallest vehicle in the series, with the 1200 being the largest. The civilian CER-160 is capable of reaching 20 kilometers in altitude, with a maximum speed of Mach 1.9, all while carrying a payload of up to 3 kilograms. The CER-500 rocket reaches 30 km and Mach 2.1, with a payload of 100 kg. Finally, the CER-1200 is able to reach 40 km and Mach 2.6 with a 1,000 kg payload. All civilian CER rockets launch from “canisters” (akin to silos) proportional to the rocket size. The Target Rocket versions of all 3 vehicles are available only to military customers, and feature canister angle support to allow for various firing angles, to alter the vehicle’s flight parameters. The RTV (Reentry Target Vehicle) & MIRTV (Multiple Independent Reentry Target Vehicles) are products designed to simulate the terminal flight of ballistic missiles, allowing for military forces to train their anti-missile systems in a cost-effect way. Both the RTV and MIRTV are launched by the CER-1200 rocket, though modified to feature an upper “booster” stage. ARCA proposes these products as alternatives to the expensive option of firing a real, but inert missile/weapon to train interception forces. The A1 is being developed and sold under the CER program.
== Rocket engines ==
=== Executor ===
The Executor was a liquid-fueled rocket engine intended to power the IAR-111 Excelsior supersonic plane and Haas 2B and 2C rockets. Executor was an open cycle gas generator rocket engine, that uses liquid oxygen and kerosene and has a maximum thrust of 24 tons force. ARCA decided to use composite materials and aluminum alloys on a large scale. The composite materials offer low construction costs and reduced weight of the components. They were used in the construction of the combustion chamber and the nozzle, and also the gas generator and some elements in the turbopumps. The combustion chamber and the nozzle are built from two layers. The internal layer is made of silica fiber and phenolic resin, and the external one is made of carbon fiber and epoxy resin. The phenolic resin reinforced with silica fiber pyrolyzes endothermally in the combustion chamber walls, releasing gases like oxygen and hydrogen, leaving a local carbon matrix. The gases spread through the carbon matrix and reach the internal surface of the wall where they meet the hot combustion gases and act as a cooling agent. Furthermore, the engine is equipped with a cooling system that injects 10 percent of the total kerosene mass onto the internal walls. The pump volutes were made of 6062 type aluminum alloy. The pump rotors are made through lathing and milling using 304 type steel. The supersonic turbine was made of refractory steel, both the core and the blades. The turbine rotation speed was 20,000 rpm and has a 1.5 MW power. The intake gas temperature was 620 °C. The main engine valves were made of 6060 type aluminum and were pneumatically powered, without adjustment. The engine injector and the liquid oxygen intake pipes were made of 304 L type steel and the kerosene intake pipe was made of composite materials. The engine had the possibility to shift the thrust by 5 degrees on two axes. The articulated system was made of composite materials and high-grade steel alloy. The engine is rotated using two hydraulic pistons that use kerosene from the pump exhaust system. ARCA announced that the Executor engine had a thrust/mass ratio of 110.
=== Venator === Venator was a liquid-fueled pressure-fed rocket engine that will be used to power the second stage of the Haas 2C rocket. It burned liquid oxygen and kerosene and had a maximum thrust of 2.5 tonnes-force (25 kN; 5,500 lbf). The engine had no valves on the main pipes. Instead, it used burst disks on the main pipes, between the tanks and the engine. The second stage was pressurized at 2 atm (200 kPa) at lift-off and after the first stage burn-out, the second stage would be pressurized at 16 atm. At that pressure the disks would burst and the fuel would flow through the engine.
=== LAS === The Launch Assist System was an aerospike engine that was to use electrically heated water to produce steam, which would then generate thrust. The LAS was to reduce cost of rockets by manner of reducing the associated complexity, since steam powered rockets are far less complex than even the simplest liquid fueled engines. It was to be a self contained unit including both the engine and propellant tank. It could theoretically achieve a specific impulse of 67 seconds. The LAS was proposed to be a first stage for the Haas 2CA rocket, or to serve as a strap-on booster for existing vehicles, including the Atlas V, Falcon 9, Delta IV, and Ariane 6. The EcoRocket Demonstrator and Heavy will use a reworked version of this system with two nozzles (one for launch, and one for landing) called the LAS 25D.
=== AMi Cargo System === The AMi Cargo vehicle will use a new propulsion system, described by ARCA as "electric-arc propulsion." The reaction mass will be water, and the impulse will be provided electrically using electricity from large solar arrays. Beyond this, not much is known about the nature of this system, however, ARCA intends it to be capable of running for days on end.