Maglev Launch: Ultra‐low Cost, Ultra‐high Volume Access to Space for Cargo and Humans

Despite decades of efforts to reduce rocket launch costs, improvements are marginal. Launch cost to LEO for cargo is ∼$10,000 per kg of payload, and to higher orbit and beyond much greater. Human access to the ISS costs $20 million for a single passenger. Unless launch costs are greatly reduced, large scale commercial use and human exploration of the solar system will not occur. A new approach for ultra low cost access to space—Maglev Launch—magnetically accelerates levitated spacecraft to orbital speeds, 8 km/sec or more, in evacuated tunnels on the surface, using Maglev technology like that operating in Japan for high speed passenger transport. The cost of electric energy to reach orbital speed is less than $1 per kilogram of payload. Two Maglev launch systems are described, the Gen‐1System for unmanned cargo craft to orbit and Gen‐2, for large‐scale access of human to space. Magnetically levitated and propelled Gen‐1 cargo craft accelerate in a 100 kilometer long evacuated tunnel, entering the atmosphe...