Eagle

E´Prime Aerospace Corporation

E´Prime Aerospace Corporation (EPAC) was established in early 1987 with a commercial space transportation system based on the US Air Force MX Peacekeeper programm. The Eagle series launch vehicles will be proposed for launches from Ascension Island for geosynchronous satellites and from Vandenberg AFB for polar spacecraft. As a first phase of development, EPAC is proposing four models in the Eagle series:

	Eaglet	Eagle	Eagle S-I	Eagle S-II	Eagle S-III	Eagle S-IV	Eagle S-V	Eagle S-VI	Eagle S-VII
Booster					2 x ESM-9	3 x ESM-9	4 x ESM-9	5 x ESM-9	6 x ESM-9
stage 1	ESM-5	ESM-5	ESM-9	ESM-9	ESM-9	ESM-9	ESM-9	ESM-9	ESM-9
stage 2	ESM-1	ESM-3	ESM-3	ESM-9E	ESM-9E	ESM-9E	ESM-9E	ESM-9E	ESM-9E
stage 3	MPBV			ESM-3	ESM-3	ESM-3	ESM-3	ESM-3	ESM-3
liquid stage				Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Post Boost				BPBV	BPBV	BPBV	BPBV	BPBV	BPBV

LEO	581	1,361	2,048	4,536	7,677	9,825	12,701	18,720	26,916
LPEO	431	898	1,946	2,994	5,067	6,485	8,382	12,415
GTO			1,297	2,062	2,456	3,143	4,064	6,110	8,972

Continuing the tradition of deriving commercial launch vehicles from U.S. Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), E' Prime in 1987 was given the right under an amendment to its Commercialization Agreement with the U.S. Air Force to derive the Eagle S-Series of launch vehicles from Peacekeeper ICBM technology. E' Prime now has the go-ahead to use this technology and market the Eagle S-Series Launch Vehicles as a commercial satellite launcher. With over 40 consecutive launches of the Peacekeeper by the USAF, without a single failure, the Peacekeeper is the most advanced and successful rocket in the world today.
E' Prime Aerospace Corporation (EPAC or the Company) provides commercial launch services for satellite companies or National launches. Launch services offered by EPAC include provision of the launch vehicle, launch site, integration of the payload with an appropriate protective fairing and deployment features, preparation of range documentation, payload processing facilities, assembly, test, countdown, launch and post launch control, and orbital verification operations. Payload integration, mission definition, configuration management, launch and flight operations are also conducted by EPAC.
E' Prime Aerospace was established in February, 1987. In October 1987, an agreement signed with United States Air Force (USAF) provided EPAC the use of technology based on the Peacekeeper solid fuel missile system.
In November, 1988, E' Prime launched the first fully commercial rocket in U.S. space history from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Loft 1, a small sub-orbital rocket, carried 34 pounds of payload (micro gravity experiments) on a short ballistic flight downrange and was used as a "Path Finder" to determine the launch requirements of the Department of Transportation and the Eastern Test Range. This historic flight was the start of commercial launch operations in the U.S., and received international press coverage. In early 1990, the Peacekeeper first stage motor was included in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which was signed by both the governments of the United States and the former Soviet Union. Following the execution of this treaty, the Company was prohibited in producing EPAC's first stage motor. For nine years, EPAC's development concentrated on redesign, new technologies and the preservation of the technology developed during the Peacekeeper program.
EPAC is marketing a range of launch vehicles with payload capabilities from communications satellites up to large multipurpose satellites of 20,000 pounds into a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) 22,300 miles above the earth). Small and medium lift single core vehicles are launched from a launch tube, which propels the rocket some 200 feet into the air before the first stage is ignited. This cold launch method increases the payload capability by approximately 10% and prevents costly refurbishment to the launch facility. The following is live video of the Peacekeeper Technology acquired by EPAC (launch video).
Eagle launch vehicles are a modular design of solid propellant booster stages and a liquid bi-propellant upper stage. This unique modular design of four (4) interchangeable motor configurations allows a vehicle to be configured to fit a specific payload requirement. The primary benefits of the Eagle Series vehicles are reliability of solid fuel, rapid response time, ease of launch, and low cost (20% to 60% of competitors). The Company believes that these benefits provide a distinct advantage in the world launch market.
The Federal Aviation Administration projects commercial launches to be 32 per year through 2010. National launches will depend on the development of The Missile Defense System, but even without it the total number will be higher. Both commercial and National users are demanding lower cost access to space. EPAC and the Eagle Series of launch vehicles are poised to meet these requirements.
Where possible, the same companies that were responsible for the manufacture and supply of materials for the Peacekeeper will produce flight hardware for the Eagle Series launch vehicles. EPAC solid rocket motors (SRM) will be produced using the latest technology available for the mass production of SRMs. By using the experience of these suppliers, the record of accomplishment and reliability experienced during the Peacekeeper missile system program is carried forward into a commercial application while significantly lowering production cost.
In October 1987, EPAC signs an agreement with United States Air Force (USAF). In November, 1988, E' Prime launched the first fully commercial rocket in U.S. space history from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In early 1990, the Peacekeeper first stage motor was included in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). In 1998, EPAC, using Peacekeeper baseline technology, improved design changes, and development of the ESM-9 first stage motor in a 100% commercial environment, eliminated the ESM-9 from the START Treaty. In 1999, EPAC completed commercialization of the Peacekeeper missile system for ELV applications.