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OTRAG LV |
OTRAG - Orbital
Transport- und Raketen AG
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"In
order to exploit this low-cost rocket technology on a commercial basis Lutz
Kayser founded OTRAG
(Orbital Transport und Raketen AG) in Stuttgart. It was the world's first
commercial launcher development, production and launch company. Kayser's concept involved the parallel clustering of large numbers of identical propellant tank and rocket engine modules. This allowed the application of mass production techniques as used in the automobile industry. This in turn resulted in cost reduction by a factor of 10. This breakthrough and the static testing in of prototype modules at Lampoldshausen stirred concern in the competitive aerospace industry. The established space launch companies were accustomed to making easy guaranteed profits through high cost plus fixed fee government contracts. In December 1975 OTRAG signed an agreement with the Congolese government to establish a rocket range at Shaba (Katanga). Here a pad and gantry were erected and flight tests began in 1977. Logistic support was via antique British Argosy transports landing at a dirt strip on a plateau overlooking the jungle. Kayser's activities made the great powers nervous. The USSR and France were not interested in Germany achieving an indigenous long-range rocket activity. American rocket makers were not interested in having a low-cost competitor. A propaganda campaign began, alleging OTRAG was a cover for German and South African nuclear cruise missile development. Crude Soviet-source disinformation was eagerly picked up and given credibility by the American mainstream media. The government of the Congo was pressured by the Russians to withdraw permission to use the site. OTRAG left the country in April 1979. USSR and French applied further heavy political pressure on the German government to completely cancel the project. OTRAG had to terminate production in Germany. Tooling and materials were relocated to a new combination assembly and launch site in a remote area of the Sahara Desert, in Libya. Another test series was begun in there in 1981. This achieved tremendous results. 14 suborbital test flights proved the concept and led to a 100% qualification of the technology and the verified the extremely low production cost. But planned 2- and 3-stage long-range tests and orbital attempts from Libya were cancelled by OTRAG when Germany became a party to the Missile Control Regime. This prohibited such tests in developing countries after 1982. Further testing of the rocket was moved to Sweden in 1983. But this action in turn led to Libyan military circles eyeing the facilities as a means of obtaining military rocket technology. In 1983 the Libyan Government unlawfully confiscated all of OTRAG's rocket manufacturing and test equipment in the country (as it had done earlier with petroleum production facilities of Western companies). All of Kayser's attempts to obtain return of the property or to receive damages were unsuccessful. Without Kayser's know-how the Libyans were able to conduct only a few test launches with the stolen equipment. After ten years of desultory testing the Libyan program came to an end. The Libyans were apparently unsuccessful because the essential know-how and blueprints were retained by Kayser. Another test series was begun in there in 1981. This achieved tremendous results. 14 suborbital test flights proved the concept and led to a 100% qualification of the technology and the verified the extremely low production cost. But planned 2- and 3-stage long-range tests and orbital attempts from Libya were cancelled by OTRAG when Germany became a party to the Missile Control Regime. This prohibited such tests in developing countries after 1982. |
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Further testing
of the rocket was moved to Sweden in 1983. But this action in turn led to Libyan
military circles eyeing the facilities as a means of obtaining military rocket
technology. In 1983 the Libyan Government unlawfully confiscated all of OTRAG's rocket manufacturing and test equipment in the country (as it had done earlier with petroleum production facilities of Western companies). All of Kayser's attempts to obtain return of the property or to receive damages were unsuccessful. Without Kayser's know-how the Libyans were able to conduct only a few test launches with the stolen equipment. After ten years of desultory testing the Libyan program came to an end. The Libyans were apparently unsuccessful because the essential know-how and blueprints were retained by Kayser. The project was finally squelched by the German government under pressure from the Soviet and French. OTRAG was shut down in 1986. Already in 1982, Lutz Kayser had left the OTRAG. The final rocket launch was in 1983 from Esrange/Sweden. The rocket flew normally for about ten seconds, when it suddenly exploded. The commission of inquiry found out that the reason was a payload problem. An opening had been made in the nose cone in front of the lens of a photometer. There was no glass cover. When the rocket accelerated, the rectangular hole acted just like an organ pipe. This led to vibrations which caused the explosion." |
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Stufe 3 : 4 x CRPU (2x2 Würfel)
Stufe 2 : 12 x CRPU (+ 4 CRPU = 16 CRPU = 4x4 Würfel)
Stufe 1 : 48 x CRPU (+12 CRPU = 64 CRPU = 8x8 Würfel)
Diese Rakete mit einer Startmasse von etwa 100 t besäße eine Nutzlast von etwa 0.5 t und wäre ohne Nutzlast 25 m hoch und 2.4 m breit. Die Höhe bleibt, nur die Breite wird bei den folgenden Modellen immer größer. Die äußeren Stufen umgeben daher die inneren ringförmig. Prinzip bedingt sind so zahlreiche Variationen möglich, wobei die innerste Stufe immer ein Viererkern ist.
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Im Jahre 2008 vermeldete die Firma Interorbital, dass Lutz Kayser sie bei der Antriebstechnik berät. Ihre Klasse von "Neptun" Raketen verwendet das Prinzip der OTRAG Triebwerke und das Modulkonzept. Nun ist Lutz Kayser plötzlich, nach kurzer schwerer Krankheit, am 19.11.2017 gestorben. Am 08.11. 2017 hatte ich noch Kontakt mit Ihm per e-mail.