Elon Musk lands his boosters on floating platforms – we launch them from there. According to GOSA, this is what the floating launchpad ship should look like. (Graphic; source: GOSA press kit)
Sounds crazy, but it’s true: The SPECIES (Europe Offshore Spaceport Alliance) will Launch rockets off the coast of Europey in early 2024. In April, launchers will carry satellites into space from a floating platform. This should be a feasibility test.
We’re talking about so-called microlaunchers – dwarf rockets – which deliver loads quickly and cheaply can send skyward in the range of usually a few to a few hundred kilograms. This is intended to help the Europe economy out of the missile shortage.
Why does Europey need its own space port according to industry?
This is what the project looks like in an animated graphic. According to the plans, rockets will be launched from a ship, i.e. a floating platform, off the coast of Europey:
Link to YouTube content
A Europe spaceport? This is what the BDI (Federal Association of Europe Industries) demands for a long time now. The area of application of such dwarf satellites is, for example, smart farming and autonomous driving. Such rocket launches are groundbreaking for the development of the economy. At least that’s what it says Siegfried Russwurm from BDI:
NewSpace, the commercialization of space travel, is a key for the industrialized country of the future. Data generated and transmitted by satellites is becoming indispensable, especially for parts of Europe industry […].
According to the GOSA website By 2028, the need for small satellites is expected to be four times greater and represent an impressive 86 percent of all types of satellites. Sabine Recke from the GOSA management said this in Interview with Deutsche Welle:
Four times more satellites will be launched this decade than the previous one. This leads to bottlenecks at land-based space ports.
The idea of the floating launch platform is intended to fill this gap – at least according to GOSA’s wishes.
Everything about the microlauncher
In addition to SpaceX, some Europe startups have also realized that rocket technology might pay off in the future. Three of them are, for example Isar Aerospace, HyImpulse near Heilbronn and the Rocket Factory from Augsburg (RFA).
By the way, an X-Post (formerly Twitter) from Rocket Factory shows how and in what form such microlaunchers transport satellites:
Link to Twitter content
Particularly exciting: According to the knowledge magazine Spektrum, these startups rely on different types of fuel. Liquid hydrogen is difficult to control as rocket fuel, which is why the trend is towards hydrocarbons such as methane. According to Spektrum, Isar Aerospace and RFA, for example, are relying on this.
HyImpulse sets up instead Paraffin, an easier-to-control solid that some of you may also know from the game No Man’s Sky. But competitive methods are not only being researched when it comes to fuel. For example, the RFA relies on a concept for engines that is also used at SpaceX and is considered quite complicated: the staged combustion.
This is how much current Mircolaunchers wear
According to Spectrum The US competition has a lead when it comes to microlaunchers. 16 out of 18 launches of the US company’s Electron rocket Rocket Lab are said to have already been successful.
According to the Spektrum article, the Electron can only shoot 300 kilograms of charge into space. HyImpulse manages around 500 kilograms hereIsar Aerospace 1000 Kilograms. According to its own information, the RFA rocket can even achieve up to an impressive 1.3 tons.
By the way, you can watch a drive test from Isar Aerospace here:
Link to YouTube content
This is the plan for the Europe offshore launch in 2024
The start date should sea Heise.de in April 2024 and include a two-week demonstration mission. The planned rockets are to be fired to a maximum height of 50 kilometers.
However, rockets from the startups mentioned above are not supposed to take off during these tests. Are at the start Copenhagen Suborbitals, T-Minus, Space Team Aachen (a student project) and the Research Association for Alternative Space Travel (FAR).
Space debris: The risks of small satellites
In addition to all the advantages that such satellites bring to the economy and perhaps also to our everyday lives, the aspect of space debris must not be overlooked. What happens to all the satellites orbiting the Earth? Who is responsible for that?
According to one MDR article from 2021 Back then, there were already over 6,000 satellites orbiting the earth, of which just over 3,000 were still functioning. But not only that.
A total of 128 million scrap pieces between one millimeter and one centimeter, 900,000 pieces between one and 10 centimeters and 34,000 pieces over 10 centimeters are floating aimlessly around our planet – potentially increasing.
At high speed, even a collision with a small part is enough to destroy satellites or endanger rocket launches. It is therefore questionable whether it is a good idea to launch thousands of dwarf satellites into space, which will become potential space junk at the end of their lifespan.
Pretty cool: Here you can see how the DLR wants to minimize space debris using brake sails, for example.
Link to Twitter content
Life span: How long a satellite lives depends on several factors. On the one hand, you brake A lower orbit impacts the satellite more and thus shortens the time it takes to burn up. The course has to be corrected here often until the satellite eventually runs out of fuel. On the other hand, the energy limits the lifespan. Solar cells also wear out in space. The silicon-based solar cells of the ISS demonstrate this 20 years, for example, show signs of wear.
When higher altitudes are reached, this is called geostationary orbit. Satellites stay there According to MDR, an average of 12-15 years. To put it simply: the higher a satellite orbits, the longer it will follow this orbit.
Disused satellites at even higher altitudes hardly sink anymore and should therefore be reduced to one according to international regulations Cemetery railway
sent. It lies 300 km above geostationary orbit.
In addition to great potential, this development also entails great risk. Because one Space garbage disposal or something similar so far only exists in theory:
Link to YouTube content
Worth reading: Do you love space themes? Then you might be interested in this planet – its surface consistency is said to resemble that of – no joke – a soft cheese! Do you want to send a rover to the moon? It only cost a mere 75 million in India – while a Russian attempt failed.
What do you think about the small satellites and a possible launchpad off the coast of Europey? Does this development make sense in order to remain competitive worldwide? Do you find the technology behind rockets as exciting as author Kevin? Are you also worried about who will end up disposing of all the space junk? If you are now thinking of Wall-E – unfortunately such a thing only exists in theory. Feel free to write us your thoughts in the comments and give us feedback on which other science topics you would like to read about.
Table of Contents
