As envisioned by NASA, the Star Tram launch concept proposes using superconducting magnetic levitation technology to launch payloads to low Earth orbit at a cost of less than $20 per kilogram, down from the current cost of about $10,000 per kilogram.
The Star Tram concept utilizes superconducting (SC) cables to levitate a 7-meter (23-ft.) diameter evacuated launch tube to an altitude of 22 km(72,000 ft.) above sea level. The launch vehicle is magnetically levitated and accelerated inside a long evacuated acceleration tube at ground level. The launch vehicle then coasts upward inside the magnetically levitated launch tube where it exits into the upper atmosphere. A subsequent burn from an onboard engine boosts the launch vehicle into Earth orbit.
The scale of the Star Tram concept is enormous. The total length of the Star Tram launch tube is 1,561 km (969 miles).The system is divided into two main components: the acceleration tube, which is 1,280 km (795 miles) long and located on the earth’s surface, and the launch tube, which is 281 km (174 miles) long with one end levitated to an altitude of 72,000 feet!
Estimated cost is 60 billion dollars.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It would be very nice to see the space program start moving forward again. As a tax payer, I’d rather pay for Space Exploration, and advancement, than defending allied countries in this day and age.
I think magnetic technologies have long gotten short shrift–I’d love to see this project move forward.
i’d love to see some of these technologies adapted for public transportation systems here on earth.