I've done some basic preliminary work and I think it would be just possible to build a space industry around a different paradigm: micro payloads (about 1kg or less) fired from a floating helium balloon suspended platform, the ballooons could rise to as high as 25 miles.
The balloons would suspend a giant super light "runway" which superlight robotic planes would land on. These planes would dispense hundreds of kilo units and also hundreds of 1 kilo booster packs automatically then fly back down to ground to collect more and be refueled and rinse repeat.
The floating platform would have a huge trebuchet arm organised around the center of the "runway". Note the air resistance would be much less. It would be enormously long trebuchet arm. It would continually be at very high speed rotation and counter weighted. Kilo weights with attached booster packs would be release centriopdal force and roll down along the length to of the arm to the end of the trebuchet arm.. The arm would be allowed to re-accelorate then the payload kilo item would be launched at enormous speed. At appogee the booster pack would ignite the payload to the orbital tregectory then there would have to be a giant carbon fibre cargo net in space to catch it all.
The final "twist" would be that space stations and ships could be built "modularly" and these would
be assembled like lego in space. Water and other basic neccesities could be delivered cheaply this way.
The balloons would suspend a giant super light "runway" which superlight robotic planes would land on. These planes would dispense hundreds of kilo units and also hundreds of 1 kilo booster packs automatically then fly back down to ground to collect more and be refueled and rinse repeat.
The floating platform would have a huge trebuchet arm organised around the center of the "runway". Note the air resistance would be much less. It would be enormously long trebuchet arm. It would continually be at very high speed rotation and counter weighted. Kilo weights with attached booster packs would be release centriopdal force and roll down along the length to of the arm to the end of the trebuchet arm.. The arm would be allowed to re-accelorate then the payload kilo item would be launched at enormous speed. At appogee the booster pack would ignite the payload to the orbital tregectory then there would have to be a giant carbon fibre cargo net in space to catch it all.
The final "twist" would be that space stations and ships could be built "modularly" and these would
be assembled like lego in space. Water and other basic neccesities could be delivered cheaply this way.
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