Feasibility Study on SSTO Rocket with an Initial Velocity Given by EML

Abstract

This paper studies the feasibility of the single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) rocket with an initial nonzero velocity given by the auxiliary electromagnetic launch (EML) system. First, the development history of the SSTO rocket is sketched. Then, on the basis of Ziolkovsky formula, the preliminary feasibility analysis of SSTO rockets is proposed, which is very helpful to draw the boundary of feasible SSTO rockets’ payload ratios, and shows the difficulty of SSTO without the initial velocity. Furthermore, deriving from the rocket’s dynamic model in the longitudinal plane, a theoretical relationship function between the initial velocity and the maximum payload ratio of SSTO rockets is emphatically researched. Then, taking some typical SSTO rockets’ prototypes or demonstrators as example, based on the corresponding trajectory simulations of their nonlinear dynamic models, the initial velocities for the feasible SSTO scheme are achieved under different maximum payload ratios. Finally, the conclusion is presented by analyzing the simulation results of the aforementioned study, and the application scope of SSTO rockets with EML technology is introduced in the terms of the mission feasibility and economics.