Proposed by
Star-Raker
Associates,
Star-Raker is a single stage to orbit horizontal take off and landing (
SSTO
HTOL)
vehicle intended to launch payloads of upto 50,000 lbs and 200,000 lbs
in its standard and largest configurations, with an esitmated cost of
$100/lb of payload to
LEO.
Low altitude engines comprise of ten supersonic multi-cycle airbreather ramjets, based on current existing technology, that lift the vehicle to 100,000ft at a speed of Mach 6 from take off at a conventional commercial airport, at which point rocket propulsion takes over. The aeroshell is a tri-delta form with Whitcomb airfoil lifting sections that provide a high volume for LOX/LH
storage, the conical fuel tanks imparting increased strength and
resiliance to the wing sections in normal flight and volumetric
properties of comparable efficiency to normal rocket fueltanks when
ballistic.
A smaller potential X-Prize contender with a payload of 10,000lbs also exists.
Associates,
Star-Raker is a single stage to orbit horizontal take off and landing (
SSTO
HTOL)
vehicle intended to launch payloads of upto 50,000 lbs and 200,000 lbs
in its standard and largest configurations, with an esitmated cost of
$100/lb of payload to
LEO.
Low altitude engines comprise of ten supersonic multi-cycle airbreather ramjets, based on current existing technology, that lift the vehicle to 100,000ft at a speed of Mach 6 from take off at a conventional commercial airport, at which point rocket propulsion takes over. The aeroshell is a tri-delta form with Whitcomb airfoil lifting sections that provide a high volume for LOX
/LH
storage, the conical fuel tanks imparting increased strength and
resiliance to the wing sections in normal flight and volumetric
properties of comparable efficiency to normal rocket fueltanks when
ballistic.
A smaller potential X-Prize
contender with a payload of 10,000lbs also exists.
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