From Earth to orbit using a single-stage rocket

New Mexico-based ARCA Space Corporation has announced that it is developing the world’s first Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) launch vehicle that can deliver both a small payload and itself into low Earth orbit, at a cost of about US$1 million per launch. Dubbed the Haas 2CA after the 16th century rocket pioneer Conrad Haas, the new booster uses a linear aerospike engine instead of conventional bell-shaped rocket engines to do away with multiple stages.

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New old rocket technology, very interesting.

I was going to post thatto do SSTO with any reasonable payload would mean that an aerospike rocket would be needed. Good to see they might be used in anger some time soon – I don’t know why they weren’t far more popular than they are.

SSTO to orbit = massive waste of fuel. Two stages is an absolute minimum for fuel efficiency.

Can I just point out that there have been several companies working on this since like the late 1990s. The fact that another player has thrown its hat in the ring is, I suppose, space industry news. But it won’t be news news until someone actually achieves it.

mollwollfumble said:

SSTO to orbit = massive waste of fuel. Two stages is an absolute minimum for fuel efficiency.

Not 100% convinced of that. The Skylon aircraft/rocket should be quiet efficient when/if it gets flying. All the components of the engine have been tested separately and seem to work as advertised.
Aerospike rockets also work better over a far greater range of ambient pressures than regular rocket engines ever could due to the way the exhaust self-regulates. For sure not as efficient as having a two (or three) stage rocket system but overall much lighter and the cost of fuel is trivial compared to the entire launch – Something like 1% or so.

Spiny Norman said:

mollwollfumble said:

SSTO to orbit = massive waste of fuel. Two stages is an absolute minimum for fuel efficiency.

Not 100% convinced of that. The Skylon aircraft/rocket should be quiet efficient when/if it gets flying. All the components of the engine have been tested separately and seem to work as advertised.
Aerospike rockets also work better over a far greater range of ambient pressures than regular rocket engines ever could due to the way the exhaust self-regulates. For sure not as efficient as having a two (or three) stage rocket system but overall much lighter and the cost of fuel is trivial compared to the entire launch – Something like 1% or so.

Speaking of large two-stage rockets, here’s one i never knew about. It’s quite large. 500’/152 metres tall, one big engine in each stage with the first one supposed to make eighty million lbs of thrust.
The Sea Dragon
And on Wikipedia