The company’s three co-founders, Matt Escott, CEO, Matt Coates, COO & Dr Jack Brewster, CTO, collectively spun the company out of the Engineering Department at Cambridge University in February 2019. Protolaunch has taken a bottom-up design philosophy to engine development, designing specifically for small payloads from the outset. By reducing the size and cost of the vehicle, engine and launch facility, LEO becomes more accessible to small satellites and constellations. Protolaunch are developing a family of chemical propulsion systems that act as the key enabler for a viable micro-launcher and are designed to disrupt this market by providing a step-change in the cost of access to Space for small payloads. A new generation of small launch vehicles are on the horizon with the hopes of providing dedicated launch options, however, attempts to scale down existing propulsion systems that are designed for historically large vehicles results in spiralling cost and complexity. While the satellites have got smaller, the rockets launching them have not.
Rideshare typically involves prioritisation of large payloads, while specific orbits can be prohibitively expensive to reach or require the use of onboard fuel. The introduction of ‘rideshare’ for smaller payloads makes launching more affordable, however, rideshare availability is unpredictable and delays at launch increase the overall cost. The increased demand for satellite derived data, such as Earth Observation (EO), Telecommunications, 5G and IoT services are driving this rapid growth. It is anticipated that 17,374 small satellites will be launched between 2018-2030, 70% of these will have a payload under 250kg. The small satellite market is anticipated to grow significantly in the next decade with a CAGR of +20%. Protolaunch are propulsion specialists who seek to supply chemical propulsion systems within the small launcher value chain by leveraging strategic partnerships to make the dedicated launch of small payloads a reality.
Rocket engine technology for small payloads: Next-Generation Chemical Propulsion
0 kommentar(er)
