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Public Suborbital Flight Administration (PSFA):

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Bill Waite

ASTE 527 Concept

13 December 2011

A division of the DoS, ensuring safe and efficient public suborbital space transportation

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MISSION:�Assist in the advancement of the emerging point to point suborbital space transportation industry to ensure the safety of the public on suborbital point to point flights

Suborbital Flight Safety

Human adaptation to space flight

International regulations

Environmental Impact Mitigation

A Division of the DoS:

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Rise of Multiple Vibrant Economic Hubs

Exponentially Increasing Velocity of Information

Stalled global transportation

Context:

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Global Transportation:

  • Characteristics
    • Commercially run/Independent of national governments
    • Relatively cheap
    • Regular trips
    • Quick reusable turnaround
    • High capacity per trip

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  • Suborbital Point to Point Transportation
    • Drastically reduce transportation times

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    • Commercially run/Independent of national governments
    • Improving reusability and turnaround, Reducing cost, Increasing frequency, Increasing capacity

AVERAGE SPEED

15,000 km/hr

54 km/hr

300 km/hr

920 km/hr

2,100 km/hr

The Future of Global Transportation:

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  • Public demand for faster transportation exists
    • Continued push to develop high speed rail systems and Super sonic business jets
  • Studies indicate existence of market adjacencies
    • Military global rapid deployment project initiatives like SUSTAIN
    • FUTRON and others have indicated future high demand for suborbital space flight science
  • Multiple companies eager to enter launch vehicle market
    • SpaceX, Blue Origins, Stratolaunch Systems

Business Case:

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  • Present Day
    • Virgin Galactic Space Ship Two (SS2)
    • Air launch system
      • Improves launch site flexibility
      • Improves reusability and turnaround time
    • Feathering system
      • Improves re-entry safety
    • Effects of suborbital flight on humans can be studied

Suborbital Point to Point Transportation:

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  • Present Day – Short distance flights in Europe
    • 800 km range

Suborbital Point to Point Transportation:

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  • 5 Years
    • Evolve SS2 (SS3) to increase max velocity and range
      • Improve resistance to re-entry heating
      • Improve glide slope
      • Flights across continental US
    • Field highly reusable orbital launch systems for suborbital transportation
      • Stratolaunch Systems, SpaceX, Blue Origins, and Others
      • Trans-oceanic flights
      • Pathfinder for global logistics

Suborbital Point to Point Transportation:

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  • 10 years
    • Utilize much larger reusable suborbital vehicles for a high speed global transport system
    • Regular scheduled flights
    • Airline like safety
    • Greatly increased per flight passenger capacity

Suborbital Point to Point Transportation:

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Promotes global cooperation

Access to time critical resources in emergencies

Promotes global trade

Gives value to human space activity

Benefits:

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  • Reduce aero-thermodynamic stresses
      • Lighter vehicle
  • Propulsive re-entry
      • Use of orbital fuel depot
  • Improve thermal protection system durability
      • Redesign hot structure
  • Very near orbital velocities for long distance flights
  • High heat and aerodynamic forces
    • STS Re-entry profile

Re-entry Issues:

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  • Strenuous environments
    • Sustained high G’s
    • Free fall
    • Noise
    • Vibrations
      • Launch
      • Re-entry Buffeting

Human Adaptation Issues:

  • Disorientation/Space Sickness
  • Motion Sickness
  • Fear
  • Health complications from pre-existing conditions
  • Reduce severity of environments
  • Develop Health Standards
  • Reduce Required Training
    • SS2 training, 3 days

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Air Traffic Issues:

Congested Airports

NextGen Air Traffic Control

& Advanced GPS Navigation

🡪 PSFA Coordination needed with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

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Suborbital Flight Safety

  • Reentry Safety
  • Advanced GPS Traffic Control

- Design, Manufacturing,

Inspection, and Maintenance

Guidelines

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Human adaptation to space flight

- Prevent sickness

- Reduce required training

- Promote technologies that increase

passenger comfort / Ergonomics

International regulations

- ICAO / ITU Coordination

- ITAR

- International Law

Environmental Impact Mitigation

  • NOAA / EPA Coordination
  • Ozone / Air quality

- Global warming

  • NASA and FAA charters are insufficient to handle the unique requirements of a suborbital transportation

PSFA Roles:

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Future Work:

  • Evolution of suborbital launch vehicles
    • SS2 Evolution for increased range and capacity (🡪 SS3)
  • Improve re-entry safety
    • Propulsive Re-entry capability development
  • Human adaptation studies
  • Coordination with the ICAO and FAA on Air Traffic Issues
    • Integration with NextGen and Advanced GPS Navigation development
  • Environmental impact studies
  • Study resources/infrastructure needed to support a strong suborbital transportation business model
  • Integration of future groundbreaking technologies
    • Single Stage To Orbit
    • Rendezvous with Orbital Lounge/Fuel Depot
      • Hub for increase ground coverage
      • Fuel for propulsive re-entry

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References: