Pegasus has an airplane plus a rocket and it turned out to be one of the costliest LVs ever. S3 has an airplane, a suborbital shuttle and a rocket...
Even if they ferry elsewhere to launch the reusable shuttle part demands a landing strip somewhere downstream.
The firm also plans to build its own spaceport in Payerne, although says in theory it could launch from any airport.Other countries, such as Malaysia and Morocco, announced during the launch that they would be partnering with S3 in order to build spaceports in their countries too and discussions are under way with several other potential partners.
Will be challenging to do orbital launches from Switzerland, hard to find safe enough corridors through neighboring countries. Even if they ferry elsewhere to launch the reusable shuttle part demands a landing strip somewhere downstream.
Quote from: R7 on 03/14/2013 08:22 pmWill be challenging to do orbital launches from Switzerland, hard to find safe enough corridors through neighboring countries. Even if they ferry elsewhere to launch the reusable shuttle part demands a landing strip somewhere downstream.I think that's the point of the pop-up trajectory; the first stage flies vertically to above the Von Karman limit, and then the upper stage(s) fly downrange technically in space. The first stage can then land at the same runway the carrier airliner used.
I think that's the point of the pop-up trajectory; the first stage flies vertically to above the Von Karman limit, and then the upper stage(s) fly downrange technically in space.
It looks a lot like VEHRA...
Swiss Space Systems – S3 is Strengthening its network of partners andwill start developing passenger transportation from 2018Le Bourget, 17 June 2013. Swiss Space Systems – S3, the young Swiss aerospace company, was officially launched on 13 March this year. Its goal is to develop, manufacture, certify and operate unmanned suborbital shuttles to launch small satellites up to 250 kg by 2018.With the development phase well under way, the firm is announcing today a new partnership - with Thales Alenia Space, a leading developer and manufacturer of pressurised modules, notably for the international space station. These partnerships will enable S3 to move ahead with the plan to launch small satellites and enter the next stage of developing a manned version of its suborbital shuttle. The latter will enable the company to offer a very high speed mode of passenger transportation.Work is progressing to scheduleFollowing the official launch of the company in March, the development work is going smoothly and S3's 40 or so employees are making rapid progress with the help of their partners and technical advisers, whose specifications have been defined and complied with. The technical data relating to the shape of the shuttle, its trajectory and the physical and thermal constraints are being validated prior to the first wind tunnel tests which will take place at the Von Karman Institute in Belgium in July. The certification process has also been initiated with participation in working sessions organised by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the body responsible for the drafting of and compliance with European aviation safety regulations.A stronger international network of partners and advisersTo reach its goal of launching small lower-cost satellites so as to broaden access to space for companies, universities and countries that could not afford it hitherto, S3 already benefits from the valuable support of prestigious partners. The French Dassault Aviation, consultant aircraft maker for the shuttle's systems architecture, is one of them, as are the Belgian Sonaca for the external structure, Space Application Services for the flight software and the Von Karman Institute for the wind tunnel. Other partners are the Spanish Elecnor Deimos for the navigation, the Swiss Meggitt for the sensors and Spaceport Malaysia for the ground infrastructure. The technical advisers are the European Space Agency (ESA), the Swiss Space Center to which the EPFL belongs, and Louvain (Belgium) and Stanford (USA) universities. The main sponsor is Breitling, the Swiss watchmaker.Today Swiss Space Systems is pleased to announce the creation of another powerful partnership with Thales Alenia Space, a global aerospace major specialising in particular in the development and manufacture of pressurised modules, including the Columbus module on board the International Space Station (ISS). The latter is one of the many achievements of this company that enable humans to stay alive in space.Passenger transportation the goal of a new stage in the S3 projectThe Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Thales Alenia Space and Swiss Space Systems will enable the project to move ahead, so that academic clients can be offered micro-gravity and biological research applications. The collaboration that will then be initiated with the ESA Astronaut Centre will enable S3 to move on to the next stage in its development, i.e. very high speed passenger transportation, which will open the way to the transportation of the future. The satellite flight certification process will in fact enable a substantial body of knowledge to be established with respect to the development of a manned version of the SOAR suborbital shuttle. Thanks to this, and to the new skills that will have been learned from the best, S3 intends to write a new page in the history of aviation by making supersonic intercontinental travel possible. This new mode of transport will link continents at Mach 3 speed, or three times the speed of sound.Pascal Jaussi, founder and CEO of Swiss Space Systems says : "Far from wishing to launch into the space tourism market, we want rather to establish a new mode of air travel based on our satellite launch model that will allow spaceports on different continents to be reached in an hour. Apart from Malaysia, discussions are well advanced with numerous other countries such as Morocco, Ecuador and Canada, all of which want to build the sort of infrastructure from which we will be able to operate satellite launches and later passenger transportation. The priority remains the launching of small satellites, with the development phase at the moment and then the construction of the life-size model, the goal being to carry out the first commercial launches in 2018." Manned flights on the other hand will be offered at a later stage.
Reaching spaceports on different continents in an hour is gonna be difficult with Mach 3 ::)As we all know almost orbital speed is required for that, so I'm not quite sure what they're up to.
Reaching spaceports on different continents in an hour is gonna be difficult with Mach 3
It certainly looks the part, but am I the only one worrying about how close the spaceplane was to the A300's tail on separation in their video?!
The suborbital vehicle – SOAR - 2013/06/21Dassault Aviation is pleased to contribute to the S3 (Swiss Space Systems company) project, part of a Swiss and international cooperation involving partners as competent and prestigious as ESA (European Space Agency), the Von Karman Institute, Sonaca, Meggitt and the Stanford University.Swiss Space Systems will benefit from our company’s expertise in the field of aerospace vehicle design and integration of complex systems. Based on the concept of the VEHRA airborne launcher, developed by Dassault Aviation, and with a rocket engine and equipment taken from modern aircraft such as the Rafale or the Falcon business jets, the S3 project borrows from space and aeronautical fields to provide a robust, flexible and secure system.The S3 project is part of Dassault Aviation’s ongoing commitment to remain a major player in rising to major aeronautical challenges, including preparing for the future of aerospace transportation.
It looks a lot like VEHRA...http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/aviation/innovation/a-technological-leadership/innovation-projects.html?L=1http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/aviation/press/press-kits/2013/dassault-aviation-and-the-s3-project.html?L=1
Following the official launch of the company in March, the development work is going smoothly and S3's 40 or so employees are making rapid progress with the help of their partners and technical advisers, whose specifications have been defined and complied with. The technical data relating to the shape of the shuttle, its trajectory and the physical and thermal constraints are being validated through detailed numerical simulation by a team composed by S3, ESA and DEIMOS engineers, prior to the first wind tunnel tests which will take place at the Von Karman Institute in Belgium in July.
Orbital Cleanup Satellite to be Launched in Partnership with Swiss Space SystemsThe CleanSpace One satellite has a new ally in its mission to clean up space debris. EPFL has entered into a partnership with Swiss Space Systems (S3). The company will invest CHF 15 million in the project and will launch the satellite into orbit.
Swiss company Spacepharma SA signs a contract with S3 which plans the launch of 28 satellites, togetherDelémont, 30 September 2013. The aerospace company S3 and the Spacepharma SA enterprise, specialised in solutions for medical experiments in microgravity, announce today the signature of a contract relating to the launch of four small satellites in 2018, followed by a monthly launch over two years, making a total of 28 planned launches.
QuoteSwiss company Spacepharma SA signs a contract with S3 which plans the launch of 28 satellites, togetherDelémont, 30 September 2013. The aerospace company S3 and the Spacepharma SA enterprise, specialised in solutions for medical experiments in microgravity, announce today the signature of a contract relating to the launch of four small satellites in 2018, followed by a monthly launch over two years, making a total of 28 planned launches. http://www.s-3.ch/en/home/2013/09/30/swiss-company-spacepharma-sa-signs-a-contract-with-s3-which-plans-the-launch-of-28-satellites-together28 launches :o, well they certainly know how to sign contracts.
28 launches , well they certainly know how to sign contracts.
The satellites placed in orbit by S3 for Spacepharma will have a weight of 5 kg;
