Laser Ablation Propulsion Launch System (LAPLaS) as a basis for New Access-to-Space Paradigm.
- Paper number
IAC-18,C4,IP,12,x44028
- Author
Mr. IOURI PIGULEVSKI, Switzerland
- Year
2018
- Abstract
Last year was a 60th anniversary of accessing space for the very first time (Sputnik, 1957). Despite of the huge technological advances in space exploration over the last sixty years the manner of launching from ground to space did not essentially change since then. The current chemical rockets still belong to the 1st generation launch systems with typical specific cost of launching payload at LEO over $10’000 per kg. Their inherent limitations and disadvantages are well known and cannot be avoided within the same technological paradigm. The ongoing and imminent developments in the satellites markets, especially in the nano/microsatellites sector, call for practically introducing a new access-to-space technological paradigm. Such a new game-changing paradigm would have to correspond to the 3rd generation launch system requirement of specific cost below $400 per kg on LEO, which would bring about a sufficient return-on-investment, and the subsequent development of profitable commercial launch architectures. The 3rd generation launch system level of performance is far beyond the chemical rocket propulsion reach altogether while the Laser Ablation Propulsion Launch System (LAPLaS) is capable to meet the 3rd generation launch system requirements and can make the new access-to-space paradigm feasible.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)