MagLev Launch Propulsion for LoFLYTE¿ Waverider Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Accurate Automation, teamed with PRT Advanced Maglev Systems, will work together to perform flight test experiments for launching the LoFLYTE¿ UAV from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center¿s 100-foot outdoor Maglev track. The goal of the Phase I program is to lay the foundation for a Phase II flight test program that will demonstrate the use of the Maglev track to launch a hypersonic configuration UAV. To achieve this goal we will prepare detailed designs for modifications to the LoFLYTE¿ aircraft to mate it with the release mechanism designed by PRT Advanced Maglev Systems. The successful completion of this flight test program will set the stage for the incorporation of Maglev launch systems for both high-speed aircraft and next-generation Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) with the goal of reducing gross takeoff weight, thereby drastically reducing the cost of launching payloads into space.