/sci/ - Science & Math

>>14807486

Funny how /sfg/ creams itself over spaceplanes ONLY in the threads where I DON'T post my designs for critique.

I took the goal of 500 tonnes to LEO, fully reusable with a 10m x 10m x 50m payload bay (and to keep the launch stack under 120m in height). What I got now is essentially a modernized, scaled-up Venture star assisted by two strap-on boosters that self recover by propulsive landing.

Aside from the shitposting, the only feedback from the last time I posted this which really got me thinking was the difficulty of vertical integration of the orbiter from horizontal resting position on the ground. I'm unsure how the same technique used for the space shuttle could be scaled up accordingly.

Alright, I've posted this idea before (and got flamed to hell and back) but I want some serious advice and critique on my pet project.

>500-tonne to LEO class fully reusable launch system
>10m x 10m x 50m payload bay - ideal for deploying interplanetary nuclear thermal spacecraft or torus habitat segments

>basic setup combines ideas from Starship and the former Lockheed Venture Star
>"one-and-a-half" stage to orbit layout with winged orbiter assisted by two strap-on boosters that self-recover by propulsive landing like the Super Heavy
>orbiter self-recovers just like any other spaceplane by landing on a runway
>boosters are strapped over the wings to avoid interference with the thermal tiles on the orbiter's underside

>both the orbiter and boosters use methalox; the orbiter uses linear aerospikes and the boosters use raptor-like full-flow-staged combustion engines scaled up to just below the thrust level of an F1
>to simplify development I would have both engines share turbomachinery

>have also considered using propalox instead, but would need to find a solution to the inherent coking issues it would cause

Now I want to make rough estimates of the dry mass of the system hardware so I can start making ISP calculations. I know /sfg/ has a grudge against winged orbiters but I went with this configuration for practicality, not prestige.

Help me out with my pet project bois

I'm brainstorming a fully reusable ultra-heavy launch system that combines ideas from the SpaceX Starship and Lockheed Venture Star. My goal is 500 metric tonnes to LEO in a 10m x 10m x 50m payload bay.

I figured something like this would be ideal for deploying an interplanetary nuclear-thermal transfer vehicle in a single launch.

Unlike the Venture Star, my design isn't a true SSTO; it's assisted by two strap-on boosters that self recover by propulsive landing. Meanwhile the winged orbiter self-recovers by gliding back and landing on a runway.

R8 my autistic pet project.

I was brainstorming an idea for a fully reusable ultra-heavy launch system that combines ideas from the SpaceX Starship and Lockheed Venture Star. Unlike the Venture Star, the system isn't a true SSTO; the orbiter is assisted by two strap-on boosters that self-recover by propulsive landing.

To speed up development, I would opt to have the engines for the boosters and the orbiter share turbomachinery.

The complete stack would be 105 meters tall and thus compatible with existing launch infrastructure.

My goal is to get 500 metric tons to LEO in a 10m x 10m x 50m payload bay. I pretty much just picked the payload bay dimensions and drew everything else around it.