Such a situation could be possible within a few years, according to spaceport operators and air- and spacecraft developers who set out their visions for ‘point-to-point’ deliveries at Farnborough International Airshow yesterday (23 July).
Aiming to take advantage of new technology and expanding spaceport infrastructure worldwide, the panel – led by Global Spaceport Alliance chairman Dr George Nield – said high-speed, long-distance transportation will carry cargo through the upper atmosphere before ultimately shuttling people as well.
“I strongly believe that the ability to fly from one point on Earth to the opposite side of the planet in just an hour or two is going to be a tremendous gamechanger, in terms of both national security and economic competitiveness,” said Dr Nield, who established the GSA in 2015 to enable access to space and help grow the industry. The organisation now has 76 members, including 31 spaceports around the world.
SpaceX’s reusable Starship spacecraft could be well-suited for point-to-point missions, said Dr Nield, reaching most destinations within 30 minutes and anywhere on Earth within an hour. It could carry up to 150 tonnes of cargo, or several hundred passengers.
“At least a dozen” companies are also working on other systems, he added. New Frontier Aerospace and Dawn Aerospace were both represented on the panel at the biennial event’s Space Zone, while other contenders could include Sierra Space.
New Frontier’s approach is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft known as the International Rocketliner, designed to take off from both airports and heliports. “SpaceX have taken the risk off the table in point-to-point vertical take-off and vertical landing,” said chairman Alex Tai, the former chief operating officer of Virgin Galactic.
The International Rocketliner will fly at Mach 10+ using the 3D-printed Mjölnir rocket engine, which was tested for the first time last week. The engine is designed to use renewable LNG, Tai added.
“It will be a truck engine,” he claimed. “You can leave this thing on the vehicle, hundreds of operations before it needs to be serviced.”
He added: “We pitched to one of the largest cargo companies in the world, potentially one of the largest transportation companies in the world. They were fixated on next-day delivery, guaranteed next-day. We can guarantee same-day delivery – and actually in Australia, we can guarantee previous-day delivery (due to proximity to the International Date Line).”
Dawn Aerospace is currently testing its horizontal launch Mk II Aurora, said sales and operations director Khaki Rodway. The small remotely-piloted technology demonstrator can fly like an aircraft, she said, and can carry a 5kg payload up to 300km. Commercial operations could take off within a year.
The much larger Mk III will offer orbital launch of satellites weighing up to 250kg, Rodway continued – as well as point-to-point deliveries of up to two tonnes of cargo on Earth.
Flexible regulations
Despite the huge commercial potential, such a delivery and transportation system will have to clear a huge number of technical and regulatory issues.
‘Space tourism’ flights could provide a guide for how point-to-point is handled, said Giovanni Di Antonio from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, but the next step will be to use similar systems in a more frequent way, in a more congested airspace. “The regulations should be flexible enough to allow these technologies,” he added.
As well as associated emissions, noise pollution is likely to be a key factor in approval or otherwise. Both New Frontier and Dawn have an advantage thanks to their use of rockets, Tai claimed, as air-breathing propulsion systems need to “drag through the lower portions of the atmosphere.”
New Frontier’s craft will travel at 160,000 feet (49km), he said. “If we go across the top of London, it will be less than 56 decibels – that's less than a fridge on in the kitchen next door. You won't hear it… on the way down, we reduce from supersonic speeds more than 200 miles away from the destination, so there's no sonic boom over land.”
There will be noise during the rocket-powered deceleration however, so the craft will land 6km or more from urban built-up areas – still close enough for speedy deliveries from the other side of the world.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.