Towed glider air-launch system
NASA designed system to launch vehicles into space orbit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Towed glider air-launch system (abbv. TGALS) is a NASA-designed two-stage air-launched reusable launch system currently in development at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. The system uses a glider, tow plane, and rocket and is designed to carry small satellites to orbit.[2] Both the glider and tow plane are reusable.[3][4]
Quick Facts Function, Manufacturer ...
Function | Autonomous air launch to orbit multivehicle system |
---|---|
Manufacturer | NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center |
Size | |
Stages | Three, two reusable |
First stage | |
Burn time | 20 seconds[1] |
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The system, compared to other designs such as Swiss Space Systems' SOAR spaceplane and Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo vehicle, is launched from a glider. This design emulates an air-launched multistage rocket with two recoverable stages: the tow plane and the glider itself.[5]