Researchers at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) are developing a concept for a new aerospace vehicle capable of launching cargo and satellites into orbit without conventional rockets.
Scientists say this spacecraft would significantly reduce launch costs and utilize existing infrastructure, such as conventional airports. The concept envisions horizontal takeoff and landing, with no removable parts. Scientists calculate that the relative payload mass would increase from 5% to 8% of the launch mass. For example, with a launch mass of 400 tons, the new spacecraft would be able to carry up to 32 tons of cargo into orbit, while a rocket of the same mass could only carry about 20 tons.
The propulsion system would consist of a rocket turbine engine for takeoff and acceleration, a ramjet engine for atmospheric propulsion, and a rocket engine for the final stage of flight. According to Denis Miokin, a graduate student at the Department of Space Systems and Rocket Science, the use of hydrogen and aerodynamic lift would reduce gravity losses and improve flight efficiency.
