Preliminary Study of the Extensive Use of Take-Off Assists for Launching a Space Plane

Abstract

This paper summarizes the result of a preliminary study on the use of on-ground take off assists to realize a space plane propelled by rocket engine(s) with off-the-shelf technology. Preliminary study result shows that high speed take-off assist is beneficial for the space plane with rocket engine and ground effect machine seems promising for take-off assist mainly because of its higher velocity compared to other means. Further investigations will be made to get optimum flight trajectory and vehicle configuration.