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ALTAIR (Air Launch space Transportation using an Automated aircraft and an Innovative Rocket)

Nowadays, small satellite operators have two solutions to launch their spacecraft: fly piggyback with a larger satellite or share a ride with other small satellites. Both launch options however require a significant logistical effort, high cost and usually require a big compromise on choosing the right launch date.

On September 7, 2019, at the CNES' Guyana Space Center (CSG) in Kourou, the EOLE demonstrator successfully performed an automatic flight with the release of an inert small-scale mock-up of the ALTAIR rocket. The successful flight concluded the last EOLE flight experiment campaign, whose objective was to flight-test the full carrier/launcher release sequence and associated systems (launcher avionics system, release mechanism).

The ALTAIR (Air Launch space Transportation using an Automated aircraft and an Innovative Rocket) project will provide affordable and flexible access-to-space services for small satellites users.

The ALTAIR system provides access to space using an expendable rocket launch vehicle. This vehicle is launched from a reusable unmanned aircraft carrier specifically designed for such a mission. The launch vehicle is released at high altitude, driven by green propellant hybrid propulsion, a lightweight composite structure, innovative avionics, and a versatile upper-stage. Novaspace spearheaded the supply and market analysis and forecasting, as well as cost modelling of the project to prove financial viability.

An overview of the ALTAIR project can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2v-gQLvBME&feature=emb_title

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