The Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT™) Vehicle and The Business Environment for the Next Generation of Piggyback Launch Options

AeroAstro and Astronautic Technology Sdn. Bhd. (ATSB) are developing the Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT) Vehicle. Primarily designed to take advantage of the many auxiliary launch opportunities to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), SPORT acts as a small upper stage by moving a small payload from GTO to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is typically a much more desirable orbit. An innovative combination of aerobraking and chemical propulsion allows SPORT to accomplish this mission while keeping costs low. This paper provides an overview of the growing market for auxiliary launches, which also includes a discussion of launch brokering, SPORT, competing decommissioned ICBMs, as well as the needs of different user segments. The SPORT team’s bilateral business arrangements with a Dr. Ahmad Sabirin 2 15th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites primary launch vehicle operator bring an additional point of view to the paper. SPORT’s pioneer mission is planned for 2003, for this first mission, a Malaysian satellite mounted on top of SPORT will be launched into GTO on an Ariane 5 Structure for Auxiliary Payloads (ASAP) micro launch slot. SPORT will then place its payload, a low earth orbit satellite, into a 9° inclination, 700 km altitude orbit