A
aaron38
Guest
This is for a novel and I'd like it to be realistic, but theoretically possible is good enough. Given a carrier wing that can lift ~400mT to launch altitude, how much spaceplane can we get out of the air-launched SSTO architecture with a 400mT GTOW?
I searched and the most I found is this and similar articles discussing the advantages of the architecture: http://selenianboondocks.com/2008/01/or ... ched-ssto/
I'm really just looking for basic specs - overall craft size and payload. I'd prefer full reuseability but drop tanks are acceptable to increase payload (but not to reach orbit with passengers only). Was thinking of just sticking with rockets for simplicity, unless there's a study showing that a scramjet would provide a large benefit. There will be orbital tugs, so the SSTO really just needs to reach minimum LEO altitude.
Does anyone know of any design studies or concepts for an orbital vehicle designed from scratch to be air launched?
I searched and the most I found is this and similar articles discussing the advantages of the architecture: http://selenianboondocks.com/2008/01/or ... ched-ssto/
I'm really just looking for basic specs - overall craft size and payload. I'd prefer full reuseability but drop tanks are acceptable to increase payload (but not to reach orbit with passengers only). Was thinking of just sticking with rockets for simplicity, unless there's a study showing that a scramjet would provide a large benefit. There will be orbital tugs, so the SSTO really just needs to reach minimum LEO altitude.
Does anyone know of any design studies or concepts for an orbital vehicle designed from scratch to be air launched?