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Mars_B4_Moon

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Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: electromagnetic launch with microwave propulsion

Perhaps Branson is happier with his space tourist flights but it seems like electromagnetic launch and microwave propulsion is something to explore and invest in

Virgin Galactic’s Long Road To Commercial Spaceflight
https://hackaday.com/2021/06/01/virgin- … aceflight/

For now it will be Musk and SLS delivering payloads

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2022-09-13 02:49:58)

SpaceNut

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From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: electromagnetic launch with microwave propulsion

Especially since they would work far more effectively outside of earth's gravity well.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: electromagnetic launch with microwave propulsion

The US Navy's new high-tech aircraft launcher is being prepped for deployment on France's new nuclear-powered carrier

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: electromagnetic launch with microwave propulsion

Space-based solar power: The next frontier for clean energy?
https://www.businessgreen.com/feature/4 … ean-energy

it would be interesting to see what is built on the Moon and Mars

if you have one rail track, then why not 2 tracks or three tracks, it would require new thinking all Mars and Lunar bridges and tunnels to be built over-size, people would complain because it increases costs. There is sometimes debate where Radio starts and finishes Microwave and the Infrared Visible begins and finishes, Microwave frequency is the range of electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between 1 m and 1 mm or frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz.

Again you will see news headlines of new claims like the controversial EmDrive concept for a thruster for spacecraft they say it would generate thrust by reflecting microwaves inside the device. Chemical rockets will probably still be needed unless someone figures out the 'Space Elevator' the Project Orion guys won't fly too many environment issues and unsuitable for launches from Earth, every once in a while you will see news of a 'new engine' with almost magic results.

NASA veteran’s propellantless propulsion drive defies laws of physics
https://interestingengineering.com/inno … of-physics
NASA expert Dr. Charles Buhler believes he and his team have discovered a “new force”.

The NASA veteran states the propulsion drive is capable of generating enough thrust to counteract Earth’s gravity without expelling mass.

It’s a bold claim, and this may end up being filed alongside similar controversial concepts like the propellant-free EmDrive

Beam Misalignment Effects on Microwave Rocket Propulsion Performance
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.B39362

Microwave electrothermal works also known as MET, is a propulsion device that converts microwave energy into heat energy, there was hype about them for a while but recently electrothermal thrusters come out with the lowest efficiency among most other electric propulsion system.  The exhaust velocities for ion engines can be much, much higher than achievable with any nozzle engine, they also have staying power but existing ion engines can't currently generate sufficient thrust to replace combustion

'Design and microstructuring of materials to boost spacecraft ion propulsion' (paywall)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-024-00664-3

Can the propulsion engines be stacked, Hayabusa-II four ion engines some of which can be run simultaneously.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200915090 … fe/092000c

There would be complex coordination to have so many rail type craft launch into orbit from the surface of Mars or the Moon at the same time as one and then fire multiple microwave devices or ion engines together as an 'Upper Stage'.  Another advantage of ion engines is they can operate for years without malfunctioning. VASMIR might be the closest thing to Microwave sucess, Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket an electrothermal thruster for possible future use in spacecraft propulsion. Maybe Microwave but it uses radio waves to ionize and heat an inert propellant, forming a plasma, then a magnetic field to confine and accelerate the expanding plasma, researchers at Stuttgart Germany have developed various hydrogen-powered arcjet engines capable of power outputs from 1 to 100 kW the electrodeless plasma thruster is currently being developed.

However Musk's rocket is powered by 33 Raptor engines for example