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Apogee insertion motors and "pad" ops will cost much more than the launch energy. |
Launch Loop Stats
2017 March 10
5700 km |
length of rotor |
100 km |
launch path altitude |
14 km/s |
rotor speed at altitude |
3 kg/m |
rotor density at altitude |
14.069 km/s |
rotor speed at surface |
2.985 kg/m |
rotor density at surface |
17e6 kg |
rotor mass |
$6/kg |
estimated cost of electrical steel |
$100M |
cost of rotor electrical steel |
1.7e15 J |
rotor kinetic energy |
460 GWh |
rotor kinetic energy |
≈ 5.6 days |
energy use in Portland, Oregon |
300 MW |
"maintenance" power and losses |
2600 GWh |
annual maintenance energy |
98% |
incremental launch energy efficiency |
10.5 km/s |
launch velocity to GTO |
56 GJ |
launch energy per tonne to GTO |
$50/MWHr |
WAG estimate, electricity cost |
$800/tonne |
electricity cost per tonne to GTO |
400 tonnes/hr |
maximum launch rate |
3.5e6 tonnes/year |
maximum launch rate |
6.5 GW |
power needed for maximum launch rate |
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Saturn V rocket |
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3e6 kg |
launch mass |
50 tonnes |
est payload to GTO |
A launch loop rotor weighing as much as 6 Saturn V rockets can launch as much as those six rockets in 45 minutes. Of course, launch loop static mass is much larger, including power plants, floats and anchoring cables, turn around magnets, sheathing, etc., but that in turn is much smaller than the construction and power plant mass of Kennedy Space Center.
Apogee insertion motors and "pad" ops will cost much more than the launch energy.