Suborbital air-launch of very light payloads from a fixed wing platform
Suborbital air-launch of very light payloads from a fixed wing platform
This paper presents the engineering analysis of CANOPUS, a proposed new concept of space launch operations designed to lift very light payloads over the Kármán line at a considerably lower cost than current systems, as well as offering the potential of near-immediate launch slot availability. The CANOPUS system comprises a self-launching, optionally piloted, high altitude sailplane, which acts as an upper tropospheric launch platform for a low cost, low weight rocket. The low ambient pressure (and density) at launch height means that suborbital space flights can be achieved by light payloads atop rockets of much reduced mass, complexity and cost compared to conventional ground-based systems. We show that a commercially available self-launching sailplane (the Phoenix Air U-15) and a solid fuelled rocket of a mass within the payload capabilities of the sailplane can be combined to lift a payload of the order of 1 kg to an apogee exceeding 100 km.
Lock, Andrew
990f0676-7906-432f-b985-543aa5478da5
Sobester, Andras
096857b0-cad6-45ae-9ae6-e66b8cc5d81b
Lock, Andrew
990f0676-7906-432f-b985-543aa5478da5
Sobester, Andras
096857b0-cad6-45ae-9ae6-e66b8cc5d81b
Lock, Andrew and Sobester, Andras
(2016)
Suborbital air-launch of very light payloads from a fixed wing platform.
16th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, , Washington D.C., United States.
13 - 17 Jun 2016.
16 pp
.
(doi:10.2514/6.2016-4061).
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
This paper presents the engineering analysis of CANOPUS, a proposed new concept of space launch operations designed to lift very light payloads over the Kármán line at a considerably lower cost than current systems, as well as offering the potential of near-immediate launch slot availability. The CANOPUS system comprises a self-launching, optionally piloted, high altitude sailplane, which acts as an upper tropospheric launch platform for a low cost, low weight rocket. The low ambient pressure (and density) at launch height means that suborbital space flights can be achieved by light payloads atop rockets of much reduced mass, complexity and cost compared to conventional ground-based systems. We show that a commercially available self-launching sailplane (the Phoenix Air U-15) and a solid fuelled rocket of a mass within the payload capabilities of the sailplane can be combined to lift a payload of the order of 1 kg to an apogee exceeding 100 km.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 16 June 2016
Venue - Dates:
16th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, , Washington D.C., United States, 2016-06-13 - 2016-06-17
Organisations:
Computational Engineering & Design Group
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Local EPrints ID: 397579
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/397579
PURE UUID: 37095992-c45a-4642-89e6-f080b23a509d
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2016 14:16
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:13
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