OTRAG
| Function | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | OTRAG |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Shaba North, Congo Sabha, Libya Esrange, Sweden |
| Total launches | 18 |
| First flight | 18 May 1977 |
| Last flight | 19 September 1983 |
| Common Rocket Propulsion Unit | |
| Height | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Diameter | 0.27 m (11 in) |
| Empty mass | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Gross mass | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 × OTRAG |
| Maximum thrust | 26.960 kN (6,061 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 297 s (2.91 km/s) |
| Burn time | 140 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4 |
The OTRAG rocket was a modular satellite-delivery rocket developed by the OTRAG company (German: Orbital Transport- und Raketen-Aktiengesellschaft, or Orbital Transport and Rockets, Inc.) in the 1970s and 80s. The OTRAG rocket was to become a rocket built up from several mass-produced units, intended to carry satellites with a weight of 1-10 tons or more into orbit. Mass production meant that the vehicle was projected to have been 10x cheaper than conventional vehicles of similar capability.
The West German company was based in Stuttgart, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s planned to develop an alternative propulsion system for rockets. OTRAG was the first commercial developer and producer of space launch vehicles. The rocket was claimed to be an inexpensive alternative to existing launch systems through mass-production of Common Rocket Propulsion Units (CRPU).