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It seems like air launch doesn't buy you a whole lot, but it turns out that a small win on delta-v can result in a fairly big win on payload. This might seem c
by curtis 9y ago
It seems like air launch doesn't buy you a whole lot, but it turns out that a small win on delta-v can result in a fairly big win on payload. This might seem counter-intuitive, but you have to remember that in orbital class rockets, payload is only 5% or so of total mass at take-off.
- InclinedPlane 9y agoIt's a small win on delta V, a small win on gravity losses, and a small win on Isp (due to atmospheric pressure). The delta V and Isp wins are exponentially related to stage mass fraction so they actually become very big wins.
- mabbo 9y agoIt's a bit like having a very small first stage that gets you out of the thickest air, with a little speed and altitude. The Falcon 9, by comparison, uses the first stage to get many times higher, but spends a huge amount of it's fuel during that first part of takeoff. For smaller launches, the plane-drop seems a much better idea.