Feasibility study on linear-motor-assisted take-off (LMATO) of winged launch vehicle

Abstract Application of technology of magnetically levitated transportation to horizontal take-off of an experimental space vehicle has been studied. An experimental system of linear-motor-assisted take-off (LMATO) consists of the HIMES space vehicle and a magnetically levitated and propelled sled which is a modified MLU model developed by the JNR. The original MLU model is a train of three cars which weighs 30 tons and is driven by a thrust of 15 tons. The maximum speed is 400 km/h. The highest speed of 517 km/h has been obtained by the first JNR linear motor car. Since the take-off speed of the HIMES vehicle with the initial mass of 14 tons is 470 km/h, the existing technology can be used for the LMATO of the vehicle. The concept of the HIMES/LMATO is to use the MLU vehicles to accelerate the HIMES vehicle at 0.33 g on a 5 km guide track until the speed reaches 300 km/h, when the rocket engines of the space vehicle are started to increase the acceleration up to 1 g. The total system will take the final checkout for take-off during the acceleration phase and the speed exceeds 470 km/h which is large enough to aerodynamically lift the space vehicle, then the fastening mechanism is unlocked to separate the vehicles. The experimental system can be applied for initial acceleration of a vehicle with air-breathing propulsion.