AN INVESTIGATION OF MASS-PRODUCED EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE CONCEPTS

EVERY US LAUNCH SYSTEM DEVELOPED TO DATE HAS ASSUMED THE NEED FOR EXTREME RELIABILITY AND MAXIMUM OBTAINABLE PERFORMANCE IN THE PRIMARY COMPONENTS OF THE STRUCTURE AND PROPULSION SYSTEM. THIS APPROACH STRETCHES THE LIMITS OF AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY, AND HAS REPEATEDLY RESULTED IN LAUNCH SYSTEMS WHICH CAN NOT PUT MATERIAL INTO EARTH ORBIT AT AN ACCEPTABLE COST. THE SPACE SYSTEM DESIGN COMMUNITY HAS DEVOTED LITTLE OR NOT EFFORT TO THE INVESTIGATION OF FAIL-SAFE SYSTEMS. A FAIL-SAFE LAUNCH VEHICLE WOULD BE DESIGNED FROM THE OUTSET UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT SOME OF ITS VERY HIGHLY REDUNDANT, LOW-COST SYSTEMS WOULD FAIL DURING LAUNCH. SUCH A SYSTEM MIGHT, FOR EXAMPLE, USE TENS OF HUNDREDS OF SMALL, IDENTICAL ENGINES DESIGNED TO PASSIVELY FAIL IN THE PRESENCE OF OUT-OF-SPEC CONDITIONS IN A WAY THAT PRODUCES NO THREAT TO THE REMAINING VEHICLE SYSTEMS. SINCE AN ACTIVE SPACE PROGRAM WOULD EMPLOY MANY THOUSANDS OF THESE EXPENDABLE ENGINES EVERY YEAR, THE COST AND QUALITY BENEFITS OF LARGE SCALE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION COULD FINALLY MOVE THE SPACE INDUSTRY AWAY FROM THE SPECIAL-PURPOSE DESIGN AND SMALL PRODUCTION RUN ERA THAT HAS HINDERED THE WIDESPREAD USE OF SPACE. AMERICAN COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY PROPOSES TO INVESTIGATE THE DESIGN OF SUCH A LAUNCH SYSTEM IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES.