CTS (rocket stage)
| Manufacturer | CALT |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | China |
| Used on | Long March 2C third stage. |
| General characteristics | |
| Height | 0.9 m (35 in) |
| Diameter | 0.54 m (21 in) |
| Gross mass | 160 kg (350 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 121.7 kg (268 lb) |
| Associated stages | |
| Derived from | SD |
| Derivatives | SMA |
| Launch history | |
| Total launches |
SD: 7 CTS:2 SMA:2 |
| Successes (stage only) |
SD: 7 CTS:2 SMA:2 |
| Failed | 0 |
| Lower stage failed |
0 |
| First flight |
SD: 1997-09-01 CTS: 2003-12-29 SMA:2008-09-06 |
| Last flight |
SD: 1999-06-12 CTS: 2004-07-26 SMA:2012-10-14 |
| Engine details | |
| Engines | 1 FG-47 SRM 16 thrusters |
| Thrust | 10.780 kN (2,423 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 286s |
| Burn time | 35s |
| Fuel |
HTPB (SRM) hydrazine (monopropellant thrusters) |
The CTS is an upper stage developed by CALT to improve the performance of the Long March 2C to high (>400 km of altitude) LEO missions like SSO. The two stage LM-2 delivers the payload and stage to an elliptical orbit with the desired apogee and the CTS points the stack in the direction of the correct vector and activates the solid rocket motor (SRM) main engine to circularize it. It then dispenses the spacecraft and does a passivisation procedure.
It was initially developed as the SD stage for the initial deployment of the initial deployment of the Iridium constellation in 1997. In the 1999 LM-2C User Manual it was offered as the CTS option and flew to deploy the Double Star mission. Later it flew twice as part of the dual deployment system SMA, first for the deployment of the Huanjing 1A and 1B and in 2012 for the Shijian 9A and Shijian 9A technology demonstrator missions.
It is composed of the Spacecraft Adapter and Orbital Maneuver System (OMS). The Spacecraft Adapter is customized to the user's requirement, particularly in the separation environment and pointing accuracy. The OMS is composed by:
The basic system has been offered in three different versions:
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Wikipedia