Low Cost Cryogenic Propulsion as an Option for a New ELV Upper Stage

Cryogenic propulsion is a ver y good option for ELV but is considered as more costly than semi cryogenic (LOX – HC) or bipropellant. On the other hand, a number of new low thrust upper stage concepts have been proposed recently, among them the Low Cost Cryogenic Propulsion (LCCP). LCCP is compared to some other low thrust techniques like Solar Thermal Propulsion and electrically heated hydrogen chemical thrusters. A bipropellant LEO / GTO stage and a high thrust cryogenic upper stage are used for comparison. LCCP provides the best combi nation of mass gain and short transfer time.