Europe Proposes Starship Alternative With Wings and Mid-Air Recovery

Meanwhile, the European space community is exploring alternatives to SpaceX’s Starship, with a proposed design that could offer similar reusable properties. However, this new concept, called RLV C5, would be smaller and cheaper, with a unique recovery system.

RLV C5: A European-Centric Heavy-Lift Vehicle

For example, the RLV C5 design was proposed by researchers at the German Aerospace Center, who analyzed Starship’s capabilities and outlined the idea of a European alternative. Additionally, this new vehicle would use a fully-reusable first-stage booster, with an expendable upper stage, allowing it to maximize payload and carry up to 77 US tons into orbit.

Furthermore, recovery would be very different from Starship, with RLV C5 descending into the atmosphere using wings to slow itself to sub-orbital speeds. Therefore, it would then be captured by a large, subsonic craft, allowing RLV C5 to carry up to 74% of its total mass into orbit.

Comparison to Starship

However, Starship has yet to make it to orbit, but several of its sub-orbital tests have been successful. Meanwhile, RLV C5 is still a concept on paper, requiring enormous investment and years of development. Nevertheless, Europe increasingly feels the need to develop its own launch vehicles, and getting the ball rolling on something like the RLV C5 would be one way to become more independent for future space endeavors.

In conclusion, the RLV C5 concept offers an interesting alternative to Starship, with its unique recovery system and potential for lower costs. Therefore, it will be exciting to see if this concept moves forward and becomes a reality.

Finally, for those interested in learning more about the RLV C5 and its potential implications for the space industry, we recommend checking out the research paper published in Springer Nature.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the RLV C5, and how does it compare to Starship? The RLV C5 is a proposed European-centric heavy-lift vehicle that uses a fully-reusable first-stage booster and an expendable upper stage, allowing it to maximize payload and carry up to 77 US tons into orbit.
2. How does the RLV C5 recovery system work? The RLV C5 descends into the atmosphere using wings to slow itself to sub-orbital speeds and is then captured by a large, subsonic craft.
3. What are the potential benefits of the RLV C5? The RLV C5 could offer lower costs and increased independence for European space endeavors.
4. Is the RLV C5 currently in development? No, the RLV C5 is still a concept on paper, requiring enormous investment and years of development.
5. How does the RLV C5 align with Europe’s space goals? The RLV C5 aligns with Europe’s goal of developing its own launch vehicles and becoming more independent for future space endeavors.