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Saturday 10 October 2015

Dnepr

Dnepr is a Russian-Ukrainian Launch System derived   the R-36M Intercontinental Ballistic Missile that is now operated by launch provider ISC Kosmotras to deliver satellites into LEO and polar  orbit. It was  first launched  on April 21, 1999 placing  UoSAT-12, a 350 kg demonstration mini-satellite into a 650 km circular orbit .

Atlas V

Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance.Atlas V rocket uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen to power its first stage and and a Centaur Upper Stage. Thrust can be augmented with up to five  strap-on solid rocket boosters, each providing an additional 1.27 meganewtons (285,500 lbf) of thrust for 94 seconds.

Proton (rocket family )

Proton is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches.  Proton initially started its life as a  ICBM. It was designed to launch a 100-megaton (or larger) thermonuclear weapon over a distance of 13,000 km   but due to its huge size it was never deployed in that role. The first Proton Launch was made in 1965. During the first five years of operation, it experienced dozens of failures . Modern versions of the launch system are still in use making it one of the most successful heavy boosters.

H-IIB (H2B)

H-IIB (H2B) is a launch system used to launch H-II Transfer Vehicles towards the International Space Station. H2B rockets are launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. H-IIB is built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.  H-IIB is derived from the original H-II and the H-IIA that underwent  modifications to reduce costs and increase reliability and to increase its payload capacity for the heavy HTV. The H-IIB was designed to adopt methods and components that have already been verified by flights on the H-IIA, so that manufacturing the new launch vehicle would be more cost-effective, with less risk, in a shorter period of time.


H-IIA

H-IIA (H2A) is an  launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. H-IIA rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit, to launch a lunar orbiting spacecraft, and to launch an interplanetary space probe to Venus. All
Launches occur at the Tanegashima Space Center . It first flew in 2001 and has been launched 28 times. Current Launches are operated by MHI only as JAXA handed the Launch System over in 2007.