The Peacekeeper Post Boost Vehicle for Civil Space Applications

Ownership of several Peacekeeper fourth stages has been transferred from the USAF to NASA for use in the civil space program. The production of Peacekeeper missiles was discontinued although several of the fourth stages known as Post Boost Vehicles or PBV's were in production and in various stages of completion. This paper examines the potential use of these PBV's for small civil space missions, especially Discovery class missions. Several configurations of the PBV with small interplanetary missions are examined. The delivered configuration of the PBV is described along with modifications necessary to make them flight ready. This paper examines the use of the PBV as a booster stage and as a spacecraft bus. The booster configurations examined include use of the PBV alone and in combination with solid rocket motors. The Delta II and Shuttle launch systems are considered as launch vehicles for these combinations. Discovery Mission performance requirements and compatibility with the PBV is reviewed. Four of the missions which appear to be compatible with the PBV include the MESUR Pathfinder, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, the Venus Atmosphere Composition Probe, and the Earth-Orbital UV Jovian Observer missions. The configurations and preliminary performance requirements of these missions are discussed. This paper concludes that the Peacekeeper PBV provides adequate performance for these missions and is worthy of further consideration in the Discovery Program or other programs as a booster stage or a spacecraft bus. The PBV is found to be a versatile spacecraft requiring some technical work but costing far less than an equivalently capable three-axis stabilized vehicle.