The Swiss shuttle that launches from the top of a plane: Pioneering plan for low cost satellite launches revealed
Swiss Firm S3 claims it can launch satellites for £7m - a quarter of the current price
- Unmanned shuttle will launch from the top of a modified Airbus A300 at 26,000 feet
- First test launches scheduled for 2017, with plans for spaceports around the world
By MARK PRIGG
A Swiss firm has unveiled radical plans to launch a space shuttle from the top of an Airbus passenger jet.
Swiss Space Systems says the system will be a far cheaper way to launch satellites - and says it can sell launches for £7m, around a quarter of the price currently charged.
The firm claims its system, which could launch satellites weighing upto 250kg, could take to the air in 2017.
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An artist's impression of the space plane attached to an Airbus A300
Swiss Space Systems aims to 'democratize' access to space by launching small satellites for around £7m
How it will work: The S3 system uses an Airbus A300 to take the shuttle up to 10,000m on its back. Once it reaches this height the shuttle is released and its jet engines kick in to take it to an altitude of 80km, when the satellites are put into orbit and the shuttle glides back to earth
The Swiss Space Systems launch model uses an Airbus A300, an aircraft already certified for zero gravity flights, to take the shuttle up to 10,000m on its back.
Once it reaches this height, the shuttle will be launched to take it to an altitude of 80km, when the spaceplane doors open and put the satellites into orbit.
Once this operation has been completed, the shuttle will return to earth by gliding towards its launch airport - and can be reused.
'Our launch programme benefits from the input of technologies previously developed and certified through original partnerships between major players in the aerospace sector such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Dassault Aviation, the Von Karman Institute and Sonaca,' said the founder and CEO of S3, Pascal Jaussi.
An Airbus A300 which S3 will use to launch its space shuttle
An artist's rendition of an S3 satellite, which the firm says can be launched for around £7m, far cheaper than current solutions
The firm also plans to build its own spaceport in Payerne, although says in theory it could launch from any airport.
Other countries, such as Malaysia and Morocco, announced during the launch that they would be partnering with S3 in order to build spaceports in their countries too and discussions are under way with several other potential partners.
The system is likely to face competition from Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, which has announced plans for a version of its Galactic space system, called LauncherOne, that could also deliver satellites into orbit at low cost.
It has produced a design that will be air-launched from Virgin Galactic’s carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, the same mothership that will launch the company's SpaceShipTwo on suborbital passenger flights.
An artist's rendition of the S3 Spaceport, where the firm hopes to launch the Airbus plane carrying its spacecraft
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