[ad_1]
Little-known American start-up, Aevum, yesterday hosted an online rollout event for its Ravn X autonomous launch vehicle, including images of a full-size mockup of the aircraft. Established in 2016, the Huntsville, Alabama-based company offers a reusable drone that will carry an underlying rocket that, in turn, will launch a small payload, like a satellite, into low orbit.
The Ravn X twin-engine drone – described by the company as the first stage of the system – weighs 55,000 pounds, is 80 feet long, and has a wingspan of 60 feet – roughly the size of an A-5 Vigilante. The sleek drone, strongly reminiscent of the smaller seemingly basic Boeing Loyal Wingman, was apparently designed for speed and will serve as a “mother ship” for a two-stage rocket capable of carrying a little more payload. of 1000 pounds. As such, Aevum classifies the complete Ravn X system as a three-stage space launcher.
Oddly enough, the full-size mockup shown in the video bears the US registration N567RX, which, although registered in the CEO’s name, is currently not assigned to any particular aircraft and, at the time of writing this article, should be removed from the registry. December 15, 2020.
You can watch the full deployment event in this video:
The company claims that using an unmanned vehicle as the first step in its launch system has the benefit of allowing the rocket motor to ignite as little as 0.5 seconds to 1 second after it is released. Separating the underside of the drone’s belly this quickly reduces energy bleeding from the rocket, meaning it loses as little momentum as possible after being released. The company maintains that this type of launch profile would be prohibitively dangerous using a manned first floor. In a traditional aerial launch, from a manned vehicle, the rocket must fall longer before the rocket ignites, keeping the crew safe, but decreasing the kinetic potential of the rocket.
According to reports, the rocket is intended to be dropped from the drone at an altitude of between 33,000 and 66,000 feet. Each of its two stages will apparently produce 5,000 pounds of thrust. Company CEO Jay Skylus told the Ars Technica blog that the engines “have been hot tested beyond their total burn time” and “passed qualification and acceptance tests.”
While there have been similar proposals using a reusable spacecraft as the first step, the concept of a reusable, unmanned, autonomous mothership that can take off and land like a normal aircraft is new, at least for the industry. private. The Ravn X also promises to be generally simpler, cheaper, and more flexible than traditional rockets fired from stationary launch platforms. The company strives to distinguish its concept from other aerial launch methods, including the Northrop Grumman Stargazer or Virgin Orbit LauncherOne, as the Ravn X first-stage drone accelerates the rocket through the atmosphere at high speed to release. fast and ignition. The exact magnitude of the difference in late-game performance that this method collects is unclear.
TIME / YouTube fan
The very ambitious schedule to fly Ravn X in the air will begin with “vehicle level testing” to obtain the required airworthiness certification and launch an operating license, a process which is expected to take 18 months, according to Skylus. From there, Aevum plans to obtain airworthiness certification for the first-stage drone from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Once these goals are met, the company says the Ravn X will begin orbital launch testing from Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, Fla., By the end of 2021. It’s undoubtedly a very ambitious, if not almost bizarre, timeline for a system that apparently hasn’t been built yet. Although taxi tests were promised, the mockup shown in the deployment video does not appear to be suitable for this type of testing work, lacking in core functionality, as savvy observers were quick to point out:
While Skylus confidently predicted that the Ravn X should be ready to go within the next 18 months, there are also some major question marks left over the feasibility of the project and the source of its funding so far, which has reportedly included five cycles. of angel investment fundraising.
TIME / YouTube fan
Jay Skylus, CEO of Aevum, explains the launch profile during the deployment event.
While the certification required to operate this type of launcher is somewhat uncharted territory, Aevum believes the drone-based design makes the most sense from the perspective of its future customers, as it will be able to use the existing (manned ) aeronautical infrastructure and supporting equipment. The drone part is powered by standard jet fuel powered by traditional jet engines. All of this is seen as necessary to drastically reduce the launch time required for a launch to months, rather than years, Aevum argues.
TIME / YouTube fan
As for Ravn X’s likely clients, the initial mission will be on behalf of the US Space Force, following a $ 4.9 million contract award last year. This is for the Agile Small Launch Operational Standardizer, or ASLON-45, and was originally assigned to Vector Launch. This company had to withdraw after financial problems, leaving the door open for Aevum, who must now complete the mission at the end of 2021.
Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, head of the Small Launches and Targets Division of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, was present during the digital deployment, confirming that there is genuine interest US military for Ravn X. innovation and responsiveness ”that Aevum has demonstrated. However, it can be difficult to describe the Air Force as a “mission partner” in the initiative, as some reports have suggested.
The company has a plan to eventually deliver eight to ten launches per year, at a cost of $ 5 million and $ 7 million for each mission.
Other government funds come from a US Air Force small business innovation research contract worth $ 50,000 and another classified Pentagon contract. In addition, the startup is competing for launch contracts under the Orbital-4 Services Program, which could be worth nearly $ 1 billion over a nine-year period.
However, at least one press release seems to suggest he has already got that $ 986 million that covers the 20 launches specified under the 4-orbital services program. In fact, Aevum is just one of many companies that will likely be competing for this job.
While funding already comes from US government contracts, Aevum has also received private funding, although the amount has not been disclosed. The company’s website mentions a business client, but withholds his identity as “confidential” and does not disclose when this assignment is scheduled. Ultimately, Aevum hopes that 85% of the funding will come from commercial customers, while the remaining 15% will come from different defense and research agencies.
TIME / YouTube fan
With costs the company admits aren’t as competitive as some space launch rivals, Aevum hopes Ravn X will instead offer a faster and easier route to get payloads into orbit, thanks to its independence from the traditional rocket launch infrastructure: delivery to low earth orbit, UAS [unmanned aircraft system] simply return to Earth, landing safely on a runway and parking in the hangar, ”the company explains.
The ASLON-45 will be launched from Cecil spaceport, but the company said missions could be launched from any suitable one-kilometer airstrip. Ultimately, Aevum believes payloads could be launched “as fast as every 180 minutes, 24/7”.
The limited throwing weight which is a limitation of this type of launcher concept means that it will not be able to deliver larger payloads into orbit, but that is not necessarily a problem for the US Air Force. , and now Space Force and Missile Defense. Agency, all of which have requirements to put smaller satellites in space. This concept could potentially be used for other work, including testing hypersonic weapons and air-launched missiles of other varieties. One could even see the potential offensive applications of such a system. If this concept were to come to fruition, the mere fact of being able to access low earth orbit on demand faster and more reliably would be very appealing to the Pentagon, as it views its larger satellites as vulnerable during conflict. between states. As such, being able to replace them quickly with smaller, less complex satellite constellations is becoming an increasing priority, as is putting new capabilities into orbit if needed in the short term.
Despite a relatively large number of legitimate questions about the viability of the project, it appears that Aevum came up with an intriguing space launch concept. Only time will tell if the company’s bold claims will be followed by the successes promised.
Contact the author: [email protected]
[ad_2]
Source link