Aevum, the US aerospace start-up, recently announced that it is ready to use the world's largest UAV ravn x to launch low earth orbit satellites into space with an airborne rocket, but the cost is much less than that of SpaceX, Elon Musk's space exploration technology company.

According to the company, ravn x is by far the world's largest UAV system (UAS), 80 feet long (more than 24 meters) and 18 feet tall (about 5.5 meters), supported by aevum's proprietary software. So, how can such a huge UAV send a low earth orbit satellite into space? Ravn x will fly to the designated altitude by itself, then launch a rocket there, and the rocket will send the microsatellite into low earth orbit.

Aevum has been praised for developing a space access method called autonomous launch, which will include fully autonomous intelligent systems for automatic flight, self operation and self-management.

Normally, low earth orbit satellites are launched by land-based rockets, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The company has repeatedly used this rocket to perform different SpaceX missions, but mainly to send satellite chains into space.

However, even if the private space company recycles the rocket and reuses it many times, it is still time-consuming and expensive, so aevum believes that the use of giant UAVs will help launch satellites without spending as much money as buying land-based rockets.

Jay skylus, aevum's chief executive, said the ravn X system had a 70 per cent reuse rate, but they wanted to be close to 100 per cent. "The first stage can take off and land on its own, and with a small rocket engine, it can take off again, just like an airliner at the gate," skirus said.

According to reports, ravn x seems to be able to complete the work faster and take off again every 180 minutes. And it can send satellites into space continuously all the time without life-threatening. Skirus also confirmed that the test flight will start sometime this year.

Although the giant drone is still new in the satellite launch business, aevum seems to have won billions of dollars worth of launch contracts, including cooperation with the US space force, which signed a contract with them to send 360 satellites into low earth orbit.

Mr skirus said aevum could start the process as soon as this year. "Aevum is completely re imagining the way into space, and the current definition of rocket science doesn't work for us," he said. With aevum, everyone can say, "I can do this kind of rocket science, too." Aevum is using software and automation technology to push space logistics to a new level. "

Novel coronavirus pneumonia was not completed until December 3, 2020, when the US space force participated in the test. If everything goes according to plan, we may soon see the first ravn x launch satellites into space. (small)

Source: Netease technology report, translated by Baidu