Initiative from DARPA: launch satellites from airplanes

Despite the fact that the technology of launching satellites into orbit around the Earth are constantly improving, all this is still a lot of money. But the American Agency defense advanced research projects Agency (DARPA) proposes to significantly reduce these costs due to having to launch satellites from airplanes.

A few years ago the whole world laughed at the initiative of billionaire Richard Branson and his company Virgin Galactic to launch space shuttles from flying at high altitude aircraft. The world was wrong, and the first private spaceport Spaceport America was recently launched, and commercial flights will begin in 2012-m to year.

Something similar offers and the Agency for defense advanced research projects United States of America. Here only in this way it is going to launch into orbit, not space tourists, and defense, navigation and communication satellites.

The technology of this process would be virtually the same as Virgin Galactic. First rises in the sky the aircraft carrier. Rising to a certain height, it is separated from the Shuttle with the satellite inside. Shuttle this is flying even higher, then shoots a satellite, launching it into geostationary orbit. The Shuttle is not returned to the Ground, and burned in the dense layers of the atmosphere.

The assurances DARPA, the technology of launching satellites will allow you to save more than 30 percent of the amount needed to start now. That is the American budget will be able to save about $ 2 billion a year.

In addition, the launching of satellites from aircraft will avoid delays related to bad weather at the cosmodrome. And indeed the use thereof for this process will no longer be necessary – the aircraft can take off from any airfield, although the military, even civilians.

Agency defense advanced research projects USA has already contributed to the development of this technology is 145 million dollars, which indicates its serious intent in this regard.

Source: /users/78