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Preliminary Research

A project log for The Rockoon

A dedicated HAB platform with 2-way communications via www.aerospark.co that can be used to experiment low cost space launch technologies.

aerosparkaerospark 07/15/2014 at 05:240 Comments

I completed a paper which overviews the history of rockoon technology, and ran some simulations on the feasibility of using rockoons as a vehicle for space exploration.   A link to the paper is available here:

https://github.com/Sanghera/Aerospark/blob/master/Design%20%26%20Analysis%20Of%20A%20Lunar%20Mission%20Launched%20From%20A%20HAB.pdf

** Spoiler alert: **

The results don't look very promising for the amateur community.  The largest single stage rocket, that is available to amateur rocket enthusiasts, barely makes a dent on the deltaV budget required for lunar orbit insertion.  This analysis is by no means complete.  I still believe that the technology may be used someday for sending small payloads to suborbital altitudes, cleaning up space junk, or maybe even launching cubesats into Earth orbit.

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