I think what’s missing from Everyday Astronauts discussion is: what if we could make the plane/rocket go much faster.
The cruise speed of a jet plane of 800-1000km/h may not be a high enough fraction of orbital velocity to be worth it.
But what if you could fly even higher and faster, say 3000km/h, before you do stage separation?
Now you’ve actually achieved a significant fraction of orbital velocity.
Obviously that would require new technology. And in particular the main challenge is making an engine that can operate efficiently at a wide range of speeds. So this engine could change the equation.
But I suspect it’d only make sense for smaller vehicles delivering personnel/cargo to arbitrary orbits on short notice.
I also wonder how they can get enough electrical power without a big weight penalty.
Keep in mind that Electron is already using electric motors for their pumps. So the question is kind of whether you could also use a motor to capture and compress air to exploit the oxygen in the air rather than having to carry it as payload.
The cruise speed of a jet plane of 800-1000km/h may not be a high enough fraction of orbital velocity to be worth it.
But what if you could fly even higher and faster, say 3000km/h, before you do stage separation?
Now you’ve actually achieved a significant fraction of orbital velocity.
Obviously that would require new technology. And in particular the main challenge is making an engine that can operate efficiently at a wide range of speeds. So this engine could change the equation.
But I suspect it’d only make sense for smaller vehicles delivering personnel/cargo to arbitrary orbits on short notice.
I also wonder how they can get enough electrical power without a big weight penalty.
Keep in mind that Electron is already using electric motors for their pumps. So the question is kind of whether you could also use a motor to capture and compress air to exploit the oxygen in the air rather than having to carry it as payload.