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Astroliner - Kelly Space and Technology

Kelly Space & Technology (KST) is developing the Astroliner vehicle based on its patented tow-launch technique. The Astroliner will be towed into the air by a modified Boeing 747 aircraft to an altitude of 6 km where the 38-meter long RLV will be released and proceed on a sub-orbital trajectory under its own power. Astroliner will then use expendable upper stages to inject payloads into orbit.

The Astroliner will be powered by a reusable rocket engine, such as Rockwell Rocketdyne Division's aerospike or RS-27, NPO's RD-180 or RD-120, or a multiple engine configuration. Its large fuselage cross-section allows the KST launch vehicle to select a propulsion unit from a wide range of available systems. Once the final concept for the aircraft is adopted, the engine that fits best the mission, design, size, power and safety parameters will be selected.

Following separation from the tow aircraft, the Astroliner ignites its rocket engine(s) and climbs to an altitude of 125 km and a speed of Mach 6.5. The nose of the vehicle then opens to release the upper stages and payload. The Astroliner then reenters the atmosphere and returns to land at a conventional airfield under the guidance of its two-pilot crew.4 The Astroliner design also features wing-mounted jet engines for powered descent and landing.

The Astroliner will use expendable upper stages, solid or liquid depending upon mission requirements, to carry payloads into orbit. Other, more powerful upper stages, such as the Star 75, Pratt and Whitney's Orbus 21, will be used for launching LEO payloads of up to 4,550 kg. The Astroliner has a suborbital payload capacity of 31,600 kg.

KST has received a United States patent for its tow-launch concept. KST claims that the tow-launch method allows vehicles to lift off with heavier payloads than an air-dropped vehicle and allows the elimination of some of the infrastructure required for vertical launch vehicles.