Rob Coppinger / Berlin
A Russian-Indonesian joint venture could begin air-launching satellites in four years if an agreement between the partners is reached this July. Air Launch Aerospace (ALAC) plans to use a modified Antonov 124-100 transport to air-launch the proposed Polyot two-stage booster.
The Polyot, an all-Russian design, would be carried inside the An-124 and pneumatically ejected at a relative velocity of about 100ft/s (30m/s), allowing motor ignition to take place at a safe distance from the aircraft. Payloads would be placed into orbits up to 400km (250 miles) altitude.
“The development costs are estimated to be $180 million,” says ALAC, whose Indonesian partner is Air Launch Aerospace Indonesia (ALAI). The two companies expect development to take up to four years.
The launch system has already completed a technical review with the Russian authorities, and ALAC and ALAI are seeking customers.
With help from Russia’s Federal Space Agency and Indonesia’s National Institute for Aeronautics and Space, the service would operate from an upgraded airfield on Biak island, off the northern coast of West Papua.
Source: Flight International
