. | . |
Avangard Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Devs Patent New Rocket Refueling Tech by Staff Writers Moscow (Sputnik) Jan 29, 2019
The glider system, capable of accelerating to up to 27 times the speed of sound, was unveiled by the Russian president last March as one of six new Russian weapons designed to preserve the global strategic balance. Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC, the Korolyov-based armaments concern tasked with mass production of the new Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, has patented a new method for fueling rockets, according to a press statement on the company's website. Doing away with traditional stationary storage systems in favour of a new mobile system fueled from rail-based tanker cars, the new fueling system promises to independently prepare fuel, achiving the required temperature and saturation, ahead of the rocket fueling stage. The company clarified that with several such mobile systems available, it will be possible to easily transfer them to whatever region of the country a launch is carried out at. Secondly, the system's components will be built using modern hardware components, eventually making it possible to fully automate the process of preparing the rocket propellant. The patent is also touted as being safer than the existing method. "The new method makes it possible to reduce overflows and, as a result, hazardous operations," the press release states, citing company engineer Svyatoslav Lemeshev. Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC is the developer of the UR-100N, one of the intercontinental ballistic missiles to be fitted with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle payload delivery system. Unveiled last spring, Avangard gliders are carried into space by ICBMs, where they accelarate to incredible speeds before descending to Earth to hit their targets. Capable of traveling at speeds of up to Mach 27 and carrying out evasive manoeuvres in flight, the system is invulnerable to all existing and prospective air defence systems. Initial development of the Avangard began in the mid-1980s as a response to Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars' missile defence concept. The program, codenamed "Albatross," was approved in 1987, but abandoned in the early 1990s due to warming relations with Washington and, later, financial difficulties associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian government decided to resume work on the program in the 2000s, after the US began to deploy a missile defence shield in Europe. Testing of the Avangard began in 2013. In a March 1, 2018 speech to officials, President Putin unveiled the weapon as one of half-a-dozen systems designed to guarantee a Russian response in the event of an enemy nuclear attack. Source: Sputnik News
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket makes 10th flight test Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2019 With an eye to launching the first tourists to space by year's end, Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, blasted off the 10th test flight of its New Shepard rocket on Wednesday. The rocket, carrying no people on board but eight science experiments for NASA, soared skyward from a launchpad in west Texas at 1508 GMT against a clear blue sky. A few minutes into the flight, the capsule separated as planned from the booster and reached its peak height of 66 miles (106 kilom ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |