Columbiad is currently operating a small bore demonstration/ development gun system. This launcher has been operational since 2002 and is being used to test unique gun propulsion concepts as well as developing gun safe electronics and other payload systems.

COLUMBIAD TEST RANGE
The uniquie test facilities of Colubiad Launch Services were developed for extensive in-house gun propulsion and rocket research. Over the past five years our facilities have also been usilized by a number of organisations perfecting a variety of flight systems.

Sub-Orbital
Columbiad Launch Services is currently developing a Industrial Sound System (ISS) based on gun propulsion technology. This system is designed as a fully road portable launch system that is capable of being transported to any road accessible launch site on Earth.

The Industrial Sounding System consists of three tractor units. The first is a flat bed trailer which mounts a custom designed gun launcher. This is accompanied by two van trailers which contain the launch control and tracking systems and all ancillary equipment needed to conduct a launch.

This system will launch three different flight vehicles:

The Arrow is a sleek low drag glide probe vehicle capable of carrying payloads up to 1.5kg and 700cc of volume to altitudes of 100km or more. This low cost vehicle is ideal for experiments which require rapid repetitions to gather multiple data points under varying
conditions and can be flown at a normal launch rate of one every 30 minutes and a rapid launch rate of one every 10 minutes.

The Arrow has a standard nose ejection feature to expose the payload and can also be equipped to eject the payload module. Payloads can be equipped with a parachute so that they will drift down to Earth slowly which will greatly extend the flight time of
atmospheric experiments. As well the ejectable nose cone can be instrumented and equipped with its own parachute allowing for dual experiments on one flight vehicle.

Flight times from vehicle launch to splashdown are in the range of 300 seconds and parachute equipped ejected payloads are able to float down for considerably longer times. (Typically 30 minutes or more depending on the mass of the payload, the size of the parachute and the current atmospheric conditions.)

The Mosquito is a high capacity base eject glide probe which is able to carry payloads of up to 3 kg and 1500 cc of volume to an altitude of 80 km or more. The base eject option of this probe allows large payloads to be carried and is particularly useful for carrying larger
payloads that will be ejected with a parachute to drift down slowly.

The mosquito is the flight vehicle used for the Starburst and Wayfarer memorial flights.

The Dragonfly is a large rocket assisted glide probe which is designed to carry heavy payloads to satellite altitudes. The Dragonfly is ideal for the rapid development and launch of micro gravity or astrophysical experiments. Capable of carrying payloads of 10kg to 250 km and lighter payloads to even higher altitudes with micro gravity times in the order of 10 minutes or more.

Orbital
Columbiad Launch Services Industrial Sounding System (ISS) is designed to serve as a prototype for a industrial capacity gun propulsion satellite launching system.

We are eager to develop our Industrial Satellite Launching System and provide an affordable satellite launch services. Although not intended as a primary launch service, the prototype satellite launching vehicle for the ISS is designed to demonstrate all of the functions of a normal satellite launcher, and will be capable of placing small nano-satelites into low Earth orbit.

The design specifications for our first industrial satellite launcher call for a minimal satellite mass of 100 kg to low earth orbit. Larger satellite launch systems will be capable of launching up to one ton to low earth orbit.

This system is designed to provide a rapid and economical launch service with a normal launch schedule of 6 launches a day and as many as 100 satellite launches a month for a single launcher. Multiple launchers can used to increase this capacity as needed.

Our industrial capacity satellite launcher is ideal for the low cost launching of small amateur, communications and research satellites.

The very high launch volume of this system will be able to support orbital projects not currently considered economical.

Some examples of this are:

• Large satellites assembled from multiple launches
  • These satellites would have a modular configuration which could include subassemblies such as propulsion modules, solar panels, batteries, momentum wheels, deployable antennas, transceivers, scientific experiments, and other common subsystems.
  • Satellites of this type do not need to have multiple redundant components as replacement modules could be flown within days or even hours of a detected fault. To prevent problems from occurring modules could also be replaced on a regular maintenance schedule and improved technology can be incorporated as it becomes
    available.
  • Commercially operated satellites of this type could be kept operating under circumstances that commonly disable traditional satellites and with regular maintained launches would be effectively immortal.

• Satellite refueling to extend life
  • Many traditional satellites are disabled because they simply run out of fuel for orientation and station keeping even though the rest of the satellite is still substantially functional.
  • Many traditional satellite designs will support the addition of a replaceable propulsion module which would extend their life span. As well some satellites currently in orbit could be refitted on orbit to use a replaceable propulsion module.
    
• Satellite rescue
• Many satellites have been lost simply because they are not launched in to their proper orbit.
• The addition of an inexpensive docking device to new satellites would allow a rescue vehicle to dock with a stranded satellite and boost it in to a proper orbit saving the satellite and reducing insurance premiums.

• Space station re-supply
  • Current and future manned space stations could be simply and economically re-supplied with consumables such as rocket fuels, water, oxygen, food, clothing, and other common supplies. Our high launch rate will allow regular and reliable re-supply as well as the ability to quickly send up replacement components or last minute experiments. This is particularly interesting for the future space tourism plans which will require inexpensive re-supply to remain economically viable.

• Large space structures
  • Large space structures such as Solar Power Satellites require very large amounts of simple materials, such as rolls of aluminum sheet to form truss segments. Our high launch rates can supply massive amounts of basic materials on a just-in-time basis with minimal delays, making such projects economical.

• Planetary exploration
  • Future journeys to the Moon or mars will require large amounts of basic supplies such as air, water and fuel. This high volume low cost launch system can supply a major percentage of consumables, particularly fuel which constitutes a major percentage of a Lunar or Mars bound space craft's mass.

• Lunar direct
  • It is quite practical to launch vehicles directly to the surface of the moon with this launch system. For the most part this lunar launching vehicle will be similar to a LEO launching vehicle but will be modified by reducing the payload and adding additional propulsion stages to send the vehicle on a lunar trajectory and then to slow it down to land on the lunar surface. For very small payloads soft landings will be possible and rough landings with air bags are possible for payloads of about 5 and 10 kg.
  • A similar version of this vehicle could be used to explore asteroids as they pass close to the Earth and perhaps even the moons of Mars.