Potential Applications
JP Aerospace’s Airship to Orbit architecture is three distinct vehicles plus ground control. Thus it would have potential applications beyond those of a direct launch rocket.
The vehicles could support extended research and exploration in the mesosphere and/or thermosphere, which are largely unexplored regions of the atmosphere.
The Dark Sky Station could provide a permanent station for both equipment and personnel. It could function as an outpost or port for space exploration in some of the same ways proposed for space stations – including outposts on other planets with atmospheres – and serve some of the roles filled by orbital satellites today. Possibilities for space tourism and space manufacturing are greatly expanded by the presence of a permanent station. Multiple dark sky stations could support enough living quarters to make residency a viable option.
The orbital airship might provide relatively low cost shipping and transportation, both suborbital and earth-to-orbit. The orbital airship would also be capable of providing orbit-to-earth shipping with equal or greater cargo capacity.
Read more about this topic: Orbital Airship
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