fut (SSIA)_v_bw_o_TPMBK (ca. 1982, unnumbered promo photo)

A Space Services Inc. of America (SSIA)…Conestoga II?...Conestoga II/3-2?...Conestoga 300?...Conestoga II ‘Growth’?...something else? launch vehicle is depicted during staging and delivery of an unknown payload into earth orbit.
I wonder if the numbers on the stages offer a clue as to correct launch vehicle designation. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Note what appears to be an oil rig outline on the payload fairing/shroud.

Information regarding SSIA’s Conestoga family of launch vehicles is expectedly, minimal. My above is gleaned solely from the following:

www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TyKIHWhyS1w
Credit: Pressure-Fed Astronaut/YouTube

Per Wikipedia:

“Space Services, Inc. of America (SSIA) is a space services company and holding company. The primary subsidiary company, Celestis is for space burials; other activities include operation of an unofficial 'star registry'. Though today it buys secondary payload space on third-party commercial rockets such as Falcon 9, Taurus, and Spaceloft XL, in the 1980s the company conducted test flights of several in-house rockets.

In 1982, their Conestoga I rocket became the first privately funded rocket to reach space. In October 1995, their first (and only) attempt at an orbital launch, Conestoga 1620, failed to achieve orbit due to a guidance system failure 46 seconds into its flight. The parent company, EER Systems, subsequently folded and the Conestoga program was cancelled.”

And:

“The Conestoga was a launch vehicle design funded by Space Services Inc. of America (SSIA) of Houston, Texas. Conestoga originally consisted of surplus LGM-30 Minuteman stages with additional strap-on boosters, as required for larger payloads. It was the world's first privately funded commercial rocket, but was launched only three times (once as a modified design) between 1981 and 1995, before the program was shut down.”

From/at, respectively:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Services_Inc.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conestoga_%28rocket%29

This beautiful 1982 artwork is by none other than Pat Rawlings. THE Pat Rawlings! SSIA was aiming for the fences to have procured the services of one of the pre-eminent, if not THE pre-eminent space “hardware” artist of that…or any other time.

Taken on: February 1, 2024

Tags:

rocket staging

Rocket

Space Services Inc. of America

Space Services Incorporated of America

Artist Concept

Artist Rendering

Artist’s Concept

Artist’s Rendering

Artist Conception

Artist's Conception

artist depiction

artist's depiction

Conestoga rocket

Conestoga II

Conestoga II/3-2

Conestoga 300

Conestoga II Growth

Pat Rawlings

Solid Rocket Motors

exhaust plume

rocket propulsion

David Hannah

Donald K. Slayton

Deke Slayton

Algol

ascent

unmanned rocket

unmanned space flight

commercial space flight « less

Sets appears in: • Breaking The Bonds & Firsts • Satellites: Views By/Views Of more » • Miscellaneous Photos & Prints « less

Groups appears in: • Space The Final Frontier • Missiles & Rockets more » • Space Shuttle and rocket launches « less

Stats: 2,611 views / 2 comments

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