Space may be the final frontier, but getting anything up there is no easy—or cheap—feat. A number of companies are pushing the boundaries and finding new ways to make the task of getting satellites into orbit a cost-effective, easy and standard process.
Stratolaunch, a commercial space firm founded by Paul Allen in 2011, announced that it’s getting closer to making this a reality with the development of new launch vehicles.
“We are excited to share for the first time some details about the development of our own, proprietary Stratolaunch launch vehicles, with which we will offer a flexible launch capability unlike any other,” said Jean Floyd, Stratolaunch chief executive officer. “Whatever the payload, whatever the orbit, getting your satellite into space will soon be as easy as booking an airline flight.”
Stratolaunch’s air-launch system is not a small design. The company created what may be the world’s biggest aircraft for use as a launch platform that is capable of carrying Orbital ATK Pegasus vehicles, which were engineered for launch. This method gets rockets off the ground while reducing fuel consumption and eliminating the need to worry about weather or altitude problems. The rockets then drop down and continue on into space on their own.
Stratolaunch’s unmanned aircraft has a 385-foot wingspan and the capacity to carry three Pegasus vehicles to an array of orbits on one mission. A Pegasus payload can accommodate up to 815lb for a single or triple configuration for an approximate 248-mile circular orbit at 28.5°. Although the vehicle has yet to take flight, Stratolaunch expects it to be in service in 2020. That is not all the company has planned.
Stratolaunch continues work on aircraft capable of launching a range of vehicles, including:
- Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV): Currently in development, this vehicle is designed for short satellite integration time lines, affordable launch, and flexible launch profiles with a payload capability of approximately 7,495lb. The company anticipates a first flight in 2022.
- Medium Launch Vehicle: Heavy: Still in its early development, this three-core MLV variant is expected to carry an approximate payload of 13,227lb.
- Space Plane: With this concept, the company hopes to create a fully reusable space plane that can take cargo into space and bring it back to Earth. Currently in its design study phase, this vehicle may have the potential to carry a medium payload or crew.
Interested in more innovations in space explorations? Check out New Power System Could Fuel Space Exploration and Funding Raised to Catapult Cargo into Space.