Sea Launch Derived Heavy Lift Launcher

Sea going vessels today cost $5,181 per metric ton of construction
judging by current costs from major builders. Achieving that cost
here allows us to estimate that each 9,000 tonne structure will likely
cost $52,362,000 and that all 7 will cost $366,534,000. The flotation
systems ans support ships will likely cost an additional $180 million
based on size and complexity- a total of $547 million plus development
costs. This is far less than an land based system. Existing piers
and dock yards are used - there is a surplus of ship building
capacity.

A small 'space yacht' system 1/1000th the mass and 1/10th the
dimension, of the larger system would still put 20 metric tons on
orbit and should cost $547,000! plus development costs of course,
which are very much the same.

Obviously a sub-scale system will be built to act as a laboratory for
the full-scale system - which will have a few challenges of its own
due to size.

The sub-scale system is 3.2 (10.5 ft) meter diameter and 17.5 (57.4
ft) meter length - masses 9 tonnes empty carrying 38 tonnes of
propellant (5.43 tonnes hydrogen, 32.57 tonnes oxygen) The primary
structure is 4.7 metric tons. The mass budget for all the hardware is
9.0 metric tons.

The structure is semi-monocoque, like the original ET, with largely
the same structure

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ssc/mi...ank/index.html

Instead of being made of fusion welded aluminum lithium alloy
chemically etched to fine tolerances, the sub-scale system uses 1.15
mm thick sheet of AISI 302 cold rolled stainless steel pressed into
shape and laser cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NsM0-9_n3Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uio9cvDJszs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTFzi-UKnfs
http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/sheet-metal-forming

Parts are laser welded on jigs into sub-assemblies that are then
assembled with non-metal parts - like insulation, electronics,
absorbers, actuators, etc., and bolted together. The bolts are then
welded in place to form the final system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TJur00-R8k

Generally speaking sheet steel is cut or punched to shape on the flat,
then formed into a 3D shape by pressing rolling spinning or folding.
The parts are then trimmed and joined and welded together.

These operations are routinely carried out at shipyards and machine
shops with high precision.

The engine is regeneratively cooled at the throat, with film cooling
at the hottest parts. Radiatively cooled further along the expansion
nozzle. Cryogenic liquids are stored in insulated steel tanks housed
within a protective stainless steel outer shell.

All these elements must be put together and programmed, along with all
the tooling, and measurement systems put in place to measure results
and modify operations...

for the sub scale system.

This is a $20 million effort - including the construction of a half
dozen test articles and three flight weight systems ($6 million of the
total)

and will take 18 months.

Avionics and software is another $8 million effort all by itself
involving electronics, sensors, etc.

($28 million total)

and another 6 months of flight testing the three flight weight
systems.

Five additional flight systems are built for another $3 million once
we've got a workable system. Another $5 million for support vessels -
and $4 million for avionics

($40 million total estimate)

These are reusable up to 1,000x - and support 250 flights to orbit per
year with 20 metric tons or more.

A single 20 ton payload on orbit costs $50 million.

Collecting a refundable deposit for 5 flights - and giving away half
the profits when realized provides fabulous returns for investors (40%
per annum compounded for all money at risk until revenue).

RISK REWARD

2,000,000 10,756,480 YEAR 1
4,000,000 15,366,400 YEAR 2
8,000,000 21,952,000 YEAR 3
16,000,000 31,360,000 YEAR 4
10,000,000 14,000,000 YEAR 5

40,000,000 93,434,880 TOTAL

250,000,000 VALUE OF 5 FLIGHTS

37.37% PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL

Investors have claim on the first $93.4 million in revenue after year
five. They have a continuing interest in 37.37% of all future
operations.

2 flights per month earn $1.2 billion per year and cost $200 million
per year. This is enough to fund the larger system costing $557
million each. Successful launch of the larger system, combined with
successful tests of sub-scale power beaming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QAUkt2VPHI

Which will take an additional 3 years - this time using ship yard
hardware instead of sheet metal shop hardware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIOnKrv4Mw

Which by the time avionics, test articles, and lost flight articles
are accounted for will cost $1 billion.

Which will be earned from the sale of satellite launches with the sub-
scale fleet.