The first three satellite launches to take place from airborne platforms aboard an An-124 Ruslan plane have been set for 2003, president of the aerospace corporation Vozdushny start (Air Start) Anatoly Karpov reported. Presently, investors have been found who are ready to put money into this project, he said.
Vozdushny start can launch satellites of up 3-4 tonnes into orbit with the aid of Polyot carrier-rockets from any point on the globe where an airstrip at least 3 kilometers in length exists, Karpov reported. Moreover, the airborne platform will be capable of launching satellites into a wide range of orbits (from 200 to 10,000 kilometers) and place them into highly elliptical orbits.
Karpov noted that launches from the Ruslan plane will be very reliable and very inexpensive. Launching one kilo of space material will cost from $2,000-2,500.
The possibility of holding launches as close as possible to the customer helps to speed them up and allows for flexibility in scheduling in terms of putting satellites in orbit, he noted.
The Vozdushny start project carries a price tag of $120-130 mln. Karpov explained the low cost by pointing out that the project will use highly reliable space components, which have already been designed and tested: the An-124 plane, the second stage to a Polyot carrier-rocket and a DM booster unit, both used on Proton carrier-rockets, as well as the Zenit-3 used in the Morskoy start (Sea Launch) project.
Karpov also pointed out the project would be ecologically friendly, as NK-43 engines will use fuel – oxygen and kerosene. Moreover, rocket refueling will be able to be done at any airstrip where Ruslan takes to the air.
The following companies aim to participate in the Vozdushny start project: the aviation concern Polyot (Voronezh), Energiya (Korolyov, Moscow region), Antonov Aviation Complex (Kiev), the Pilyugin Institute (Moscow) and the Khimavtomatika design bureau (Voronezh).
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