| VASIMRTM Applications VASIMRTM is not suitable to launch payloads from the surface of the Earth due to its low thrust to weight ratio and its need of a vacuum to operate. Instead, it will function as an upper stage for cargo, drastically reducing the fuel requirements for in-space transportation. The engine is expected to perform the following functions at a fraction of the cost of chemical technologies: 1) drag compensation for space stations, 2) lunar cargo transport, 3) in-space refueling, 4) in space resource recovery, 5) ultra high speed transportation for deep space missions.  |
The Market Market research supports the profitability of private spaceflight for tourism and other commercial applications. Over the last few years, private investment in non-government commercial spaceflight projects has grown dramatically. Major players, such as SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic, Rocketplane Kistler and Blue Origin are planning, over the next 8 – 10 years, to develop suborbital and orbital transport vehicles and modular space stations. |
