A new Swiss venture has unveiled plans for a suborbital space shuttle that it claims could launch small satellites for a quarter of current market rates. Leveraging on existing technologies, Swiss Space Systems-S3 plans to carry out first test launches…
A new Swiss venture has unveiled plans for a suborbital space shuttle that it claims could launch small satellites for a quarter of current market rates.
Leveraging on existing technologies, Swiss Space Systems-S3 plans to carry out first test launches for its Airbus A300 aircraft-based system by the end of 2017.
According to S3 founder and CEO Pascal Jaussi, it is able to have a budget of just CHF 250m (US$268m) for the venture by avoiding spending billions in research and development.
“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,” he explained.
France’s Dassault will build the internal architecture of S3’s shuttle, with Sonaca and Space Application Services of Belgium developing the exterior. Under the plan an Airbus A300 will take the shuttle on its back to 10,000km, where it will be released. The shuttle will then climb a further 80km so it can launch spacecraft into orbit before gliding back to Earth for reuse.
S3 believes that through fuel saving – and being able to avoid costly ground infrastructure by only needing a runway – it will be able to launch satellites under 250kg for around CHF10m (US$11m), which is roughly four times less than current market prices.
The venture aims to build its first spaceport at Payerne Aeropole in the west of Switzerland by 2015 for around CHF 50m (US$54m). However, it is also in partnership talks with other countries including Malaysia and Morocco to construct other spaceports.
S3 is not the only space venture looking to lower costs in the small satellite launch market.
The UK’s Virgin Galactic group is also developing a small satellite launch system, which will use a purpose-built aircraft to carry the shuttle. Similar ventures are also being considered in the US and Russia.
