3 ms·
Would it not take more dV to cirularize if we fired it straight up?
by datameta 5y ago
Would it not take more dV to cirularize if we fired it straight up?
- rbanffy 5y agoThe better aligned to the desired trajectory you launch, the less delta-V you need to get where you want to be. If we launch a payload and, in order to get to where you want it'll need to do a u-turn, our launcher isn't helping.
- datameta 5y agoPrecisely. Therefore a 45 or 30 degree launch angle gets more of the velocity in the orbital vector. Unless you are talking about launching it at lunar escape velocity directly at earth orbit.
- rbanffy 5y agoWe were discussing the installation of these on the Moon as a way to launch spacecraft. A straight rail would be aimed at a fixed point, but a centrifugal launcher could release its payload at any point and send it in any direction (as most interesting destinations in the solar system are on a single plane).