The private company AEVUM based in Alabama (USA) has presented the world’s largest unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Its objective? Transporting satellite-loaded rockets into the atmosphere for launch into low Earth orbit.
Its name is Ravn X, and weighing almost 28 tons (28,000 kg), the drone is designed to be able to launch a satellite into space every 180 minutes.
“Aevum is completely reinventing access to space. The current definition of rocket science does not work for us, “Jay Skylus, founder and CEO of Aevum, commented in a press release. ” Through our autonomous technologies, Aevum will shorten the lead time for launches from years to months. , and when our clients demand it, minutes “.
Her CARACTERISTICS
Weight: 28,000 kgs
Height: 5.5 meters
Width : 18.3 meters (wingspan)
Length : 24 meters
Fuel: The same as a standard aircraft.
Already the largest drone in the world, it will serve as the first stage of its smallsat launch system and as an excellent competitor in an increasingly crowded market for small launches. Aevum promises a rapid response service enabled by this autonomous aircraft model that can take off from any runway with just a mile long.
The Ravn X will take off, release the rocket-propelled payload once it reaches the specified drop zone, land on the runway, and return fully autonomously.
“We will now begin to conduct the tests that are required for airworthiness certification and launch licensing,” Skylus said.
Overcoming the regulatory challenges to fly a rocket-launching unmanned aerial vehicle will be difficult, “but it is necessary for the market we are looking for,” clarifies the CEO. The goal is to offer a reliable service with a minimal logistical footprint.
Not surprisingly, the company has already secured $ 1 billion in government contracts with the US Space Force and other agencies. The new space age has already begun. The company will now begin ground tests with the aim of obtaining flight certification and officially starting operations within 18 months once it passes regulatory hurdles.
Ravn X is part of Aevum’s new satellite launch program, which they call Autonomous Launch, which has multiple intelligent and self-managed systems, from calculating weather conditions to unmanned piloting of delivery vehicles. Furthermore, not using human pilots would completely eliminate the risk associated with entering orbit.
The business plan is based on making between 8 and 10 launches a year at prices ranging between 5 million and 7 million dollars per launch . They would start in the third quarter of 2021.
The long-term goal is for around 85% of Aevum’s business to come from commercial clients and 15% from investigation and defense agencies.
Despite the fact that there are already more competitors on the market, the fact that these vehicles are autonomous can make all the difference in making them stand out from today’s human-manned delivery vehicles.
