Space applications for contactless coilguns
Two space applications are considered for (electrically) contactless coilguns: launch of small satellites into low-earth orbit, and launch of lunar liquid oxygen (LLOX) from the moon to the stationary Lagrangian point L2. For the earth-to-orbit (ETO) application, the baseline conceptual design consists of a 960-m long gun sited in a tunnel at 25{degrees} inclination. The gun launches an 1820-kg package that includes a 100-kg satellite and a 650-kg boost rocket for orbital insertion. For the lunar application, the launcher is 200 m long. A 100-kg load of LLOX is packaged in a 10-kg fiber-wrapped tank, accelerated at 2 kgees in an aluminum bucket (armature), and launched at 2.33 km/s at 30-minute intervals. The canisters arrive at L2 2.97 days later and are captured by robotic tugs that deliver them to a fuel depot. The total mass of LLOX derived per year is 867 Mg (metric tons).
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 10136629
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--92-0460C; CONF-9204102--4; ON: DE92011156
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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