Suggested Citation:
Sarigul-Klijn, Marti M., Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn, Bob Morgan, Jim Tighe, Arnaldo Leon, Gary Hudson, Bevin McKinney, David Gump (2006) Flight Testing of a New Air Launch Method for Safely Launching Personnel and Cargo into Low Earth Orbit. Proceedings of the 44th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit

This paper describes the development and flight-testing of a new air launch method for safely launching personnel and cargo into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Transformational Space Corporation LLC (t/Space) has proposed a rocket carried by and launched from either a modified 747 airliner or from a custom aircraft to be designed and built. A new air launch method, called Trapeze-Lanyard Air Drop (t/LAD) launch, is proposed that greatly improves simplicity, safety, cost, and reliability of launching personnel into LEO. A t/LAD launch eliminates the need for wings or fins on the launch vehicle; greatly reduces ascent dynamic pressure, sideways accelerations and bending forces, and rocket engine thrust vectoring control; and allows the use of a simple and very safe vapor pressurization (Vapak) engine cycle for the launch vehicle.