Questions tagged [launch-system]

Any system that launches objects into space, by traditional rockets, reusable craft, or other means, such as mass drivers, cannons, tethers, launch loops, sling launchers, and so on.

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Future Plasma-Scramjet engines: If/how they could be used in the launching of spacecraft

Recently I took a look at this paper: “Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion”, Energies 2018, 11, 1733; doi:10.3390/en11071733 https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/7/1733 It made me think about ...
Dakota Wharton's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
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launch rocket like bullet from steam/air rifle?

I've included an image depicting how exhaust energy from a rocket launch can be recouped by turning it into a large scale pressure cooker by the use of some kind of platform=sabot (thanks @...
PDiracDelta's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
188 views

Would mass drivers be able to transport base material on the moon more efficiently than drones?

I am a hobbyist working on a climate change adaptation idea that is a variation of orbital sun shades. It would project soil/material from the moon to provide targeted shading for whatever part of ...
T.A. McKay's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is a Lofstrom loop realistic

Is a Lofstrom loop (also known as launch loop) realistic? The general idea behind a Lofstrom loop is a large structure intended for easier access to space, held up by active support (think rotating ...
sp2danny's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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At which stage of rocket development does systems engineering become critical/useful? [closed]

Rockets are complicated system and the interaction of the sub-systems are even more complicated. But different subsystems tend to be developed parallels without much interaction but does so when ...
karthikeyan's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
457 views

Galilean cannon

Do you think that Galilean Cannon can be somehow useful in rocket industry during space exploration, example to launch rocket from the Earth or from the orbit to far space? The mass of ball might be ...
Luke's user avatar
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0 answers
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Spacex rocket supporting mechanism on the launch pad [duplicate]

From the video on youtube, it was not clear that how Spacex is supporting their rockets on launch pad. What is the supporting mechanism they are using?
Amar's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Launch pad design considerations

What are the things to be considered while designing a launch pad? What are the subsystems of launch pad design? (Please provide briefly what needs to be done in each of the subsystem to do the ...
Amar's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
315 views

Could a sounding rocket or a space gun payload at apogee be put into orbit with a rocket impulse from there?

Consider a sounding rocket that launches its payload to several hundreds of kilometers of altitude, straight up. Imagine that this payload at apogee then points itself accurately and has a propulsion ...
LocalFluff's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why are some rockets orange?

After many successful launches with the Delta II, ULA made the Delta IV rocket orange. What's the reason for this strange color change? Also the Atlas V's first stage is orange, is there any ...
Jake Blocker's user avatar
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What factors prohibit building a space cannon to launch raw materials? [duplicate]

I am envisioning a magnetic cannon to launch materials directly from Earth's surface to geosynchronous equatorial orbit. The parameters I have in mind are a near vacuum launch tube, about 10 km in ...
Jonathan Huffman's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is it possible to put a satellite into geostationary orbit using a weather balloon? [duplicate]

I was wondering about the following situation: First, you send up a balloon with a satellite with some thrusters built-in. As soon as the balloon reaches the geostationary height, it deploys from the ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
493 views

What payloads and launch speeds could a sling launcher get using modern materials on the Moon?

The only reference paper I have found on this subject is this paper by Landis, which is a great introduction to sling launchers - but the concept has been around for some time and there must be other ...
kim holder's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
366 views

Could a sling launcher be used on Mars?

A sling launcher (discussed in this write-up by Landis) is a tower with a motor that spins a hub with two or more cables attached. Payload(s) are attached to the end of one or more cables and ...
kim holder's user avatar
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