Stratolaunch Systems - компания Пола Аллена

[Дмитрий В.]

Apollo13 пишет:
Водородный РБ с двумя RL-10 и в результате 6500 кг на НОО? Рукалицо....

Для РН, содержащей две твердотопливных ступени вполне достойно.

[Apollo13]

Дмитрий В. пишет:

Apollo13 пишет:
Водородный РБ с двумя RL-10 и в результате 6500 кг на НОО? Рукалицо....

Для РН, содержащей две твердотопливных ступени вполне достойно.

Но "на глаз" как-то очень недешево.

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385&plckPostId=Blog%3a04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385Post%3add366625-ca5e-4215-8af1-5f83237def46

Stratolaunch quietly making progress
 
 Posted by Guy Norris 8:50 PM on Oct 04, 2013
Stratolaunch Systems, a Paul Allen project developing a commercial air launch space access system, is quietly starting up production inside its recently opened 88,000 square ft. site at Mojave, Calif. The facility is laying up the first parts of the enormous composite wing and fuselage sections of the 385-ft span carrier aircraft which will carry the Orbital Sciences-built multi-stage booster to launch altitude. Provisional details of the booster itself have also been revealed by Orbital. Measuring around 128 ft. long, the payload will be encased in a 16.4 ft. diameter fairing. Gross lift off (or drop) weight is expected to be over 465,000 lb, with the air launch vehicle (ALV) able to deliver 13,200lb to low earth orbit and 9,900 lb. to a highly inclined (HIO) orbit. Flight testing of the 6-engined carrier aircraft is expected to begin in 2016 with first launch of the ALV in 2018.



ALV with carrier in background (Guy Norris), and (below) a closer view of the booster fairing and fin/wing configuration.

[октоген]

Мне в этом летающем Чуде-Юде интересно  как криогенный РБ перенесет поперечные перегрузки старта и полета. Насколько он при этом потяжелеет. Ну и соответственно спутники будут с теми же требованиями.

Да, кстати, как там будет организован дренаж водорода на взлете?

[frigate]

[SFN]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2014/02/26/paul-allens-space-company-gets-a-new-executive-director/
Paul Allen's Space Company Gets A New Executive Director
Paul Allen's investment company Vulcan, Inc. announced today that it has hired Charles Beames as Executive Director for its space launch system Stratolaunch.
An Air Force Academy graduate, with a degree in engineering, Beames has been heavily involved in space issues in the public sector. He has served as the space and intelligence liaison to the U.S. Congress for Air Force Appropriations, and most recently held a position as Principal Director of Space and Intelligence for the the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. In that role, Beames was responsible for acquisition oversight of all the DOD's space and intelligence programs.
"I'm excited to welcome Chuck to my executive leadership team," Allen said in a statement. "His experience and passion for space make him an invaluable asset, and he'll play a key role in overseeing our progress in the next stage of development and the transition to full operations."
Stratolaunch is in the process of developing an airplane based launch platform for commercial payloads. It's similar to Virgin Galactic in that sense, which also uses an airplane to get its passenger spacecraft into space. In fact, the aircraft is being developed by the same company, Scaled Composites.
The planned carrier aircraft will be enormous – it will have six 747 engines, weigh approximately 1.3 million pounds, and its wingspan will be about the same length as a football field. If they're successful in building it flight-capable, it will be the largest airplane built to date.
Last June, Stratolaunch inked a deal with Orbital Sciences to develop the rocket portion of its launch system. The rocket will be lifted into the air by the aircraft, then launch from high in the atmosphere to reduce the cost in delivering payloads into orbit.
Stratolaunch currently plans to begin testing its flight and launch systems in 2016, with full commercial launch capabilities available by 2018.

[Seerndv]

Глядя на картинку этого Сратолонча - вспоминается фраза из древнего анека:

Все садятся в современный супер-самолет.
 Из динамиков раздается:
 - Уважаемые товарищи пассажиры! Наш самолет оборудован по последнему слову техники. Во время полета вам будет предложены услуги бара, кинотеатра, бассейна, сауны. Для желающих открыты библиотека, магазины, спортивный зал и другие заведения культурного отдыха.
 А теперь, приведите спинки кресел в вертикальное положение, пристегните ремни, и мы попробуем вместе со всей этой х.. нёй взлететь!

 

[Apollo13]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/10/dream-chaser-eyes-rides-with-under-review-stratolaunch-system/

Среди прочего водородную верхнюю ступень хотят заменить на две твердотопливные:

The news comes as a surprise, given Stratolaunch are currently in a major program review, mainly surrounding the rocket the carrier plane is set to take off with.
...
The first and second stages are made from "carbon-composite wound" cases, with the same outside diameter as the Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) segments.

These two stages will sport additional performance via an updated propellant mix, under development by ATK, who are working to complete a merger with Orbital.

The first two stages will act like a single first stage, given they will provide half of the required Delta-v. However, information notes the first stage may also be recoverable after staging and splashdown.


Once the solid stages have been expended, a restartable cryogenic third stage was understood to be the preference.

This would utilize two Aerojet Rocketdyne (PWR) RL-10 engines for the development and early flights of the rocket, pending the development of a higher thrust LOX-Hydrogen unit.

However, the review into the rocket system is understood to be looking at an all-solid version of the rocket.

As such, Aerojet has been given a stop work order for the upper stage engine work, per L2 information.
 
Meanwhile, ATK has been asked to evaluate and price a two stage replacement for the liquid upper stage, believed to be a Castor 30 combo (XL and/or B).

This review will last until the end of the year, which should still allow for the test launch of the Stratolaunch system in 2018.

[Apollo13]

октоген пишет:
Мне в этом летающем Чуде-Юде интересно как криогенный РБ перенесет поперечные перегрузки старта и полета. Насколько он при этом потяжелеет. Ну и соответственно спутники будут с теми же требованиями.

Да, кстати, как там будет организован дренаж водорода на взлете?

Видимо конструкторы Стратоланча задались теми же вопросами

[Garixon]

не нашёл подходящей темы куда это протолкнуть, решил сюда      

Компания Zero2Infinity объявила о планах по запуску небольших спутников


Специализирующаяся на запусках воздушных шаров компания Zero2Infinity, которая располагается в Барселоне, объявила на этой неделе о своих планах по отправке полезных грузов на орбиту, используя системы запуска воздушных шаров. Такая технология называется Rockoon. Это составное слово, образованное от слов rocket (ракета) и balloon (воздушный шар).
Анонсированная компанией Zero2Infinity система запуска называется Bloostar. Работа системы типа Rockoon начинается с запуска воздушного шара на высоту стратосферы с последующим использованием трех ступеней ракеты для отправки на орбиту. Идея Rockoon не нова. Первые запуски Rockoon состоялись в 1949 году. Bloostar будет доставлять грузы на околоземную орбиту и, возможно, на более далекие расстояния.

Преимущество запуска ракеты с воздушного шара в том, что атмосфера Земли исключается как фактор при разработке и как преграда для достижения орбиты. На первой фазе работы системы Bloostar уже исключается 99% земной атмосферы, благодаря подъему на высоту более 20 км. Аэродинамика перестает играть важную роль, с чем и связан характерный способ выстраивания ступеней. Bloostar является набором концентрических колец, которые расходуются по мере набора высоты.

Zero2Infinity разрабатывает двигатель на жидком топливе. В компании подчеркивают его экологичность. Этап, связанный с работой первой ступени ракеты, продлится 160 секунд. Будет достигнута отметка в 250 км с инерционной скоростью 3,7 км/с. Это, примерно, половина скорости, необходимой для достижения стабильной околоземной орбиты. Второй этап продлится 230 секунд с достижением высоты в 530 км со скоростью 5,4 км/с. Окончательная орбита будет достигнута после ещё двух запусков двигателя (3-ий и заключительный этап). В Zero2Infinity заявляют, что их система Bloostar будет способна выводить 75 килограмм полезного груза на солнечно-синхронную орбиту на высоту в 600 км. Для сравнения, МКС находится на высоте 420 км.

[Andrey Samoilov]

Журналисты сфотографировали процесс сборки аппарата:
http://aviationweek.com/blog/inside-rocs-lair

[Salo]

Вам сюда:
http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/forum13/topic3224/

[Andrey Samoilov]

Salo пишет:
Вам сюда:
 http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/forum13/topic3224/

Эта тема про проект Stratolaunch Systems. Моя ссылка как раз про строительство этого чуда-юда. Она не связана с постом Garixon про
Zero2Infinity

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-considering-using-multiple-launch-vehicles/

Stratolaunch Considering Using Multiple Launch Vehicles
by Jeff Foust — April 15, 2015

The interest in alternative launch options is driven by the growing interest in small satellites, for which the current Stratolaunch system (above) is oversized, according to Vulcan Aerospace President Chuck Beames. Credit: Vulcan Aerospace  
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Stratolaunch Systems, the air-launch venture backed by billionaire Paul Allen, is considering using the giant aircraft it is developing to launch several different types of launch vehicles, and as a result is pausing work on a crewed spacecraft.
In a presentation at the 31st Space Symposium here April 13, Chuck Beames, president of Seattle-based Vulcan Aerospace, the parent company of Stratolaunch Systems, said the company has decided to examine alternative vehicles that could be launched fr om its aircraft.
 Vulcan Aerospace President Chuck Beames. Credit: Vulcan Aerospace
Stratolaunch is building an aircraft that will be among the largest in the world in terms of wingspan. The plane, under construction at a company hangar in Mojave, California, was designed to carry aloft a rocket capable of launching medium-class payloads. Orbital ATK is developing the rocket, which uses solid-fuel lower stages and an upper stage powered by RL-10 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Beames, though, indicated that the company is looking at other launch vehicle options. "What we really want to do is focus on a lower-cost propulsion system that is evolvable in some fashion," he said.
In an interview after his presentation, Beames said those alternatives could be in addition to, and not in place of, the rocket provided by Orbital ATK. "We're still looking at Orbital as a potential option," he said. "We're widening our aperture to see if this is the right path forward."
Beames said the interest in alternative launch options is driven by the growing interest in small satellites, for which the current Stratolaunch system is oversized. A smaller vehicle, he said, could be developed more quickly and less expensively. "It takes a more near-term focus on revenue generation," he said.
Stratolaunch could eventually support several launch vehicles, he said, with varying payload capabilities to serve different customers. "We'll likely have multiple launch vehicle options," he said. "Some will be available earlier than others."
Beames did not give a schedule for development of any alternative boosters, but said the company would likely announce its plans later this summer.
Stratolaunch is currently working to complete its carrier aircraft. Beames said in his presentation that 80 percent of the airplane's parts have been fabricated, and the plane is 40 percent assembled. He said the plane would be ready to be rolled out of its hangar in Mojave as soon as late this year, with flight tests beginning in 2016.
That near-term focus on alternative launch options means Stratolaunch is deferring work on a crewed vehicle that would launch on the Orbital ATK booster. At the International Astronautic Congress in Toronto in October, Stratolaunch and Sierra Nevada Corp. announced they were studying the development of a 75-percent-scale version of Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft.
"What we've decided to do is kind of take a pause on further development of that," he said, as Stratolaunch examines alternative launch options.
Beames said that human spaceflight remained a long-term goal of the company, and that it still considered Dream Chaser the best spacecraft option. "Once those plans are solid going forward, we will re-engage with Sierra Nevada specifically on the modified Dream Chaser," he said.
In his conference presentation, Beames described Stratolaunch as a first step in the long-range space commercial plans of Vulcan Aerospace, part of Allen's Vulcan Inc.
Stratolaunch, he argued, can help lower the cost of space access to the point wh ere it enables new markets, a concept he called "NextSpace."
Beames promised more details about Vulcan's overall business plans in the space field in the near future. "I think you'll see lots of announcements as we roll out more things from Vulcan Aerospace in the next year, year and a half."

[triage]

потихоньку сдвигают вправо

 http://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-plans-fall-decision-on-launch-vehicle/
Stratolaunch Plans Fall Decision on Launch Vehicle
by Jeff Foust  August 6, 2015
......
"Everything's progressing on track," Beames said. The company plans to roll out the aircraft for the first time in early 2016, with flight tests beginning in the middle of the year.
Beames said the company plans to take a slow, conservative approach for the aircraft's test flights, gradually expanding its flight envelope and allowing time to make modifications. "I'm expecting probably a year and a half or maybe two years of envelope testing of the aircraft, because we only have one," he said.
......

[pkl]

Ну дык!  Судьба всех АКС - вечно маячить на горизонте. Кто-нибудь помнит ещё про "Воздушный старт" и его американский аналог Air Launch?

[instml]

4 августа 2015

http://www.ixbt.com/news/2015/08/04/ispytanija-samogo-bolshogo-samoleta-v-mire--stratolaunch--startujut-v-sledujushem-godu.html

Испытания самолета с самым большим размахом крыльев - Stratolaunch - стартуют в следующем году
В 2011 году один из основателей Microsoft Пол Аллен (Paul Allen) задался целью построить самый большой самолет в мире, а точнее самолет с самым большим размахом крыльев. Его идею поддержали несколько партнеров, включая главу Tesla Илона Маска (Elon Musk).
Самолет, который получил название Stratolaunch, уже собирается на калифорнийском космодроме Mojave Air and Space Port, причем испытательные полеты должны начаться уже в следующем году.

http://www.vulcan.com/news/articles/2015/stratolaunch-ceo

[Владимир Шпирько]

instml пишет:

Испытания самолета с самым большим размахом крыльев - Stratolaunch - стартуют в следующем году

О! Это будет биплан? 

[instml]

Нет.

[Salo]

Владимир Шпирько пишет:

instml пишет:

Испытания самолета с самым большим размахом крыльев - Stratolaunch - стартуют в следующем году

О! Это будет биплан?

это будет бифюзеляж.