SBIR Phase I: Novel Reusable Launch Platform: Two-Body Separation Under Unique Aerodynamic Circumstances

The broader impact and commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in its positive influence on both the growth of the Low Earth Orbit economy and stimulation of innovation in space technology. The growing demand for satellite launches is currently limited by a bottleneck of low availability, flexibility, and high cost of existing orbital launch services. Orbital delivery services enabled by this advanced in-flight separation system will enable a new level of launch responsiveness leading to lower costs, much greater contractual flexibility, and the availability of daily launches without the need for costly launch infrastructure, greatly accelerating time-to-market for satellite service providers and increasing their profitability. Low cost and frequent access to Low Earth Orbit will enable ubiquitous internet access, 5G capabilities, and valuable Earth observation technologies. The flexibility and reduced cost of these launch services will help maintain the United States' position at the forefront of space technology development and space research. The technology will provide the US Armed Forces access to a responsive, secure, flexible, and available gateway to space that will boost reconnaissance, observation, communication, and intelligence capabilities. Moreover, it will represent the most ecofriendly launch delivery service available, able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by three times (3x) compared to ground launch. This SBIR Phase I project seeks to demonstrate an innovative concept of in-flight aircraft/rocket separation in which the rocket is launched from the top of the carrier aircraft, instead of the widely used launch from beneath. This new separation system is the core innovation enabling an advanced air-launched orbital delivery system that will dramatically reduce the cost of dedicated satellite launch, minimize propulsion and structural requirements, and enable orbital delivery flexibility and precision, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of space launch operations. The proposed concept will be the first top-carry air-launch service commercially available. The goals of the Phase I project are focused on building a prototype of the separation system and validating it in a sub-orbital test flight. The main technical challenge is to ensure that the design of the improved separation system will work under a broad range of real flight conditions. This technology will be achieved by research leading to a better understanding of aerodynamic behavior at the separation event and the development of an improved design methodology that considers all relevant design parameters and their aerodynamic effects. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.