lightcraft

Ok. You don't get it do you?

>
>> Their calculations show a 1Mw laser can put 1kg into orbit for a few
>> tens or hundreds dollars. c.f. $2600 with Russian Proton V.
>
> The cost of current launch systems is primarily the number of people
> required to support it all,

Oh you do understand!

> you can't just count the cost
> of the energy to send the thing up.

Unless that cost starts to dominate because everthing else gets
cheaper right?

> If laser (or even mass launcher)
> systems mean significantly less complex machinery to install
> with each payload, that should certainly help. But payload
> preparation,

Hint: mass production. Launch 1 and it costs X. Launch 600 and
costs go down by 50% or more. 15000 we're down to 30%. And
these are the short term price. Also, quality control isn't
quite so important- if even 10% fail you just buy a few more.

> and postlaunch communications, tracking etc are other
> costs that will still be there,

These cost look fixed to me.

> and will be worse if you're
> launching lots of small things rather than one large one.

That turns out not to be the case.

Lightcraft can launch 1 per day or 1000 per day. Same number of
people. Same number of tracking systems. Same number of launch
pads. Same number nearly everything. More payloads and launches
same amount of equipment.

>> Assuming 1 per minute, this makes 525 tonnes per year... that's
>> more launch capability than all the other launchers put together,
>> but for lower cost.

Hence cheaper per pound.

> Truax's "big dumb" Sea Dragon was supposed to be capable of
> launching 500 tonnes of payload in one launch. If there was a market
> for it (should be cheaper than Energiya launches, supposedly under $1000
> per kg).

Maybe. But nobody has managed to get enough money to build one.

And it is difficult to scale up to. Laser launchers can SCALE.

> Laser-based launch systems should make more sense when they can move
> bigger payloads; at least this proves it can be done.

Yes, but look at the sheer tonnage.

Rhetorical question: What happens if you launch lots of small stuff
(e.g. cans of propellent) into LEO and catch it in a net?

> Arthur Smith (apsmith@...

civilization?"