SpaceBuild








Propulsion

Introduction

There are many and varied forms of propulsion available. What you choose will depend upon your budget and on what yoy are trying to propel.
tiny gas jets are sufficient for maneouvers beyond the karman line, but where gravity is stronger, significantly more thrust is required.


Vertical lift from the ground is the most difficult to achieve, and requires the greatest thrust capacity. If considering a launch vehicle, consider options such as horizontal lift from a conventional runway, or hitch a ride, as demonstrated by the recent successful sub-orbital launches by White Knight / SpaceshipOne.

Fuel can be expensive - it is also potentially dangerous. Again, consider some of the recent research into hybrid fuels, which are intrinsically safe until combined. Long reach interstellar travel is really beyond the scope of this site, but research here suggests that ion drives or space 'sails' are the best option.

Air breathing designs can be effective for low / mid altitude lift, but you will need to supply all elements required for high altitude / space propulsion.

 

ion drive under test

Supplier list:

 

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Hybrid

Rocket propellants come in two parts, fuel and oxidizer, which work together to keep an engine burning. SpaceShipOne burns a material called hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), a common ingredient in tyre rubber, as fuel with nitrous oxide serving as the oxidizer. According to press statements by Scaled, the combination was (..read more)



Solar

A solar sail is a spacecraft that has an immense, lightweight mirror attached to it. It derives its propulsion by being pushed by light reflecting (..read more)



Liquid

For hundreds of years, man lived with the problems associated with solid-fuel rockets. However, in 1926, after 17 years of theoretical and experimental work, Robert Goddard created (..read more)



Chemical

Since we have already developed many different types of chemically-fueled propulsion systems, one might wonder why we need to advance these technologies. Historically, there has been a demand for improvements in (..read more)