A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FUTURE SPACE ORBITAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
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Authors
Long, Bryan P.
Subjects
space elevator
military satellite community
MILSATCOM
carbon nanotube
military satellite community
MILSATCOM
carbon nanotube
Advisors
Rhoades, Mark M.
Romano, Marcello
Date of Issue
2018-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis conducts a comparative analysis of future Orbital Transportation Systems (OTS). Near future rocket advancements are compared to future capabilities of a well-documented non–rocket based OTS, the space elevator transportation system. Technical and geopolitical impacts of both systems to future space exploration and the space industry are analyzed. Recent multiple new entrants into the space rocket industry are developing larger payload capacity rockets and driving down the cost per kg to orbit. These advances will lead to major improvements in the way spacecraft and satellite engineers will design their future systems with fewer payload constraints and lower total mission cost constraints. While beneficial, these advancements in rockets could have an adverse effect on the continuing efforts to develop alternate OTSs, such as the space elevator, by reducing the research and design (R&D) funding available for those systems. A space elevator offers the promise of consistent daily to-orbit transportation with a very large payload capacity at an extremely inexpensive cost. For these reasons, the space elevator system is worth the continued R&D investment to address major technical challenges in its continued development.
Type
Thesis
Description
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Department
Systems Engineering (SE)
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NPS Report Number
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.