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Grounding of Shuttle Fleet Has Major Implications for Launcher Market
The long-term losses resulting from the destruction of Shuttle Orbiter Challenger/Mission 51-L are becoming most apparent. While the cost of replacing the. lost vehicle is substantial, the suspension of flight operations for two or more years is leading to congestion in the planned flight schedule and considerable delays. . With a four-orbiter fleet, expectations are that an annual launch rate of twelve missions can be sustained although US sources suggest that the date of 18th February 1988 set for the first post-accident launch may be very optimistic. . One of the major factors influencing the schedule is the necessity to thoroughly test the redesigned Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The failure of a high-pressure seal in the lower field joint of the starboard SRB of Challenger/Mission 51-L allowed escaping exhaust gases to cause structural damage. This resulted in the breakup of the vehicle and subsequent explosion. While the SRBs have received. most of the attention, NASA has also contracted Pratt & Whitney to redesign the turbo machinery (cca 50%) of the Shuttle Orbiter main engine to increase its durability and thus cut long-term costs.
President Reagan authorised the construction of a replacement Shuttle Orbiter in mid-1986 but this vehicle is not expected to be available until late 1991 or early 1992. The loss of at least two years of Shuttle operations and the availability of only three vehicles in the following 3-5-year period would have caused enough difficulties in scheduling payloads, the planned space station programme and a large number of planned Defense Department payloads have combined with these circumstances to displace a large number of scheduled commercial payloads. The Reagan Administration stopped NASA from competing for commercial satellite launch contracts in mid-1986 in a move designed to support the growth of a commercial Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) industry in the US. This was reaffirmed last October when the new Shuttle payload manifest was released; only 20 launch contracts held by commercial/foreign customers were to be honoured. Twenty-four major commercial payload items had to find new launchers. .
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