NASA‘s Towed Glider Air-Launch System will launch small payloads, like mini-satellites, into space more efficiently and at a fraction it currently costs, according to officials. In a spree of ingenuity, researchers have devised a launch system comprised of a double piggyback of sorts. First, a drone will fly off the ground and into the upper atmosphere, carrying a glider. The glider in turn carries a rocket, which ultimately carries the payload meant for Earth’s orbit. Once the drone reaches 40,000 feet, it decouples the glider which immediately turns on its on-board booster. Once high enough, the glider will decouple the rocket which fires for the final climb into space.
Last year, in October, NASA tested a one-third-scale prototype twin-fuselage towed glider. The test run was successful, absent the final rocket stage.
Ultimately, however, the most efficient and cost-effective solution for launching things into space might be a reusable rocket. SpaceX recognizes this and is working hard to make this happen. According to CEO Elon Musk, a reusable rocket could cut costs 100 fold. The engineering challenges, though, are enormous. At the beginning of the year, SpaceX executed a flawless launch of an unmanned cargo capsule headed for the international space station, but technical problems spoiled a historic bid to land part of its used rocket booster on a floating platform. The way things are going, they might not be that far off. The space industry is looking mighty good at the moment.
Pseudoscience is threatening our society.We had to do something about it
...and get our new book for FREE
