February 27, 2018 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
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I almost caught you cold just listening to you. I hope your feeling better. Looks like they did some digging with the drill since this broadcast
Why launch two payloads at a time, when the whole point is to make the aircraft launch flights cheap and frequent? Nothing would be saved by doing twice at once.
If the aircraft is supposed to be crewed at each air drop launch, wouldn’t that require it to be human rated as a launch vehicle? It is said to be able to carry 275 tons of payload. That’s almost a Soyuz launcher of 300 tons. So it could supply the space station with crew and supplies, if a drop rocket was developed for that purpose.
[Sorry if this became a double post because of a net hickup]
The aircraft Antonov 225 already carries 640 tons, and that’s indoors. I think this Stratolauncher might pave the engineering air road for follow ups that are more competitive. But that it will itself have a difficult time commercially.
If it is piloted by a crew in the aircraft, won’t it have to be certified as a crewed spacecraft for every launch, even communication satellites?
“The aircraft Antonov 225 already carries 640 tons”
That’s the MTOW, PL is 285 tons.
I think air launch does have potential in its reliable first orbit rendezvous abilities, if you want to get something into a particular LEO orbit short notice and within a few hours air launch could do it, in most instances it would be impossible from ground launch.