Electromagnetic ground to orbit propulsion method and operating system for high mass payloads

Abstract

A reusable and regenerative electromagnetic propulsion method and operating system is provided for propelling high mass payloads to orbital velocities which does not require a vacuum environment. The propulsion system comprises a self supporting superconducting dipole coil several kilometers in diameter that is accelerated by magnetic repulsive forces generated by a plurality of giant superconducting field coils mounted in underground tunnels. The propulsion dipole is mounted inside a circular hypersonic wing-like structure equipped with movable aerodynamic control surfaces for guidance. The propulsion system can accelerate a payload with any desired launch azimuth by accelerating along a line of magnetic induction generated by the field coils having the desired azimuth angle. The payload is attached to the propulsion system by a plurality of cables. After reaching orbital velocity, the payload is detached from the propulsion system and the propulsion system is decelerated back to the earth's surface by magnetic repulsive forces generated by the field coils. A large fraction of the orbital energy of the propulsion system is reconverted back into electrical energy by the inductive coupling between the magnetically decelerated propulsion coil and the field coils which is used to launch another payload.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.