Revolutionizing Space Travel: Titans Spaceplanes vs SpaceX Starship; Safe, Efficient, and Low-Cost Space Travel
Neal Lachman
???? | ???? | CEO & Chief of Spacecraft Design | TitansSpace.com | Investor | Selene Mission | Crewed Mars Mission:2032 | Nuclear Propulsion | Normalizing Space Tourism | Spaceplanes | Space Stations
From 2020 to 2022, in the course of evaluating potential Cis-Lunar transportation solutions, Titans Space conducted thorough comparative analyses of super heavy-lift launch vehicles, including the Starship design.
This essay outlines the strategic rationale behind our decision to pursue a non-rocket-based approach for achieving Lunar access and unlocking a multi-trillion-dollar Lunar economy. We'll also delve deeper into the unique features and functionalities of our groundbreaking ultra-heavy-lift spaceplanes and spaceships that will revolutionize and normalize space travel from the day they become operational.
This essay concerns two parts
The Titans Space team decided to divide space travel/transport into two parts:
While SpaceX aims for a one-size-fits-all solution with Starship, its complexity will -by definition- compromise safety and efficiency. Titans Space, on the other hand, proposes a dedicated approach for different missions. By using specialized vehicles for Earth orbit (LEO) and deep space, our infrastructure offers the most cost-effective, efficient, and safest path for large-scale space travel.
This part concerns Titans Space's LEO infrastructure, namely the ultra-heavy-lift Titans Spaceplane. The Cis-Lunar infrastructure is discussed in another part.
LEO Infrastructure
Vertically launched rockets are the most energy-intensive, capacity-limited, and cost-prohibitive mode of transportation.
Atmospheric egress (escaping Earth's thick atmosphere) constitutes the most challenging aspect of space launch.
The challenge lies in achieving escape velocity, the minimum speed necessary to overcome Earth's gravitational pull. High initial velocity is crucial for atmospheric escape. However, the rocket equation reveals that achieving this velocity necessitates a large amount of fuel. Unfortunately, carrying more fuel adds mass, further hindering acceleration. This creates a complex trade-off for launch vehicles. They must be lightweight for initial ascent, yet possess the fuel capacity to overcome atmospheric drag and reach escape velocity.
Therefore, escaping the atmosphere demands a meticulously designed launch vehicle. It necessitates a powerful engine for efficient propulsion, a lightweight structure to minimize mass, and a substantial fuel load. This combination makes atmospheric egress the most energy-intensive, demanding, and risky phase of a rocket's flight.
SpaceX and its Super Heavy-Lift Rockets
SpaceX operates a super heavy-lift rocket, Falcon Heavy, and is currently testing its Starship rocket.
Falcon Heavy
From the SpaxeX website, we learn that the Falcon Heavy is composed of three reusable Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.
Starship
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket – collectively referred to as Starship – represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable.
While the Falcon Heavy has been operational with nine launches, the Starship is still under development and most likely will remain so for the next few years.
Starship's ambitious goals face a harsh reality: the laws of physics. The tyranny of the rocket equation still applies, demanding a massive amount of fuel for its desired payload capacity. This is further compounded by the need for orbital refilling, adding complexity and potential points of failure. Until significant breakthroughs are made in propulsion technology or launch economics and operations -if ever, Starship's effectiveness will fall short of SpaceX's grand vision.
(Read more about this in our two analyses, The Orbital Refilling Dilemma, and Critical Limitations and Risks of Rocket-Based Human Space Travel).
Titans Spaceplanes: The Holy Grail of Aerospace
The Titans Spaceplanes are poised to usher in a new era of space travel with a quintuple revolution:
Unique Safety Features
Since the Titans Spaceplanes are not booster rockets it eliminates the hazards of the space rockets people are familiar with. The wings of the Titans Spaceplane also serve as an abort system that allows the Spaceplane to glide to a safe landing.
But the Titans Spaceplanes also have several unique safety features.
Passenger Module (Passenger Cabin)
The Passenger Module is a separate module that mounts to the floor of the cargo bay. This modular?approach provides complete isolation of the passengers from smoke and fire in a crash landing as well as allowing the exterior of the Passenger Module to be covered by fireproof ceramic blankets similar to those used on the outside of the space shuttle.
The Passenger Module is divided into two decks with?each deck having its own tunnel connecting it to the Crew? Module/Front Cabin in the nose. Inside the Passenger Module, a spiral staircase connects the upper and lower decks.
Emergency Egress
Normal ingress/egress as well as egress for evacuation is provided by two doors in the nose. The two viewing cupolas in the roof double as a hatch for emergency egress.
“Spacepod” Encapsulated Seats
The biggest personal safety innovation of the Titans Spaceplane is the Spacepod Encapsulated Seats for the?Passenger Module.
These Spacepod seats use individual clamshell enclosures which are normally open?during the flight but in the event of depressurization or other emergency slide down and enclose the seat, maintaining the passenger in a breathable atmosphere with their own ECLSS system without the discomfort and claustrophobia of an IVA suit. The passenger can also use the clamshell enclosure during the flight for privacy. Instead of overhead bins, each passenger uses a fireproof compartment on the Spacepod to store their carry-on luggage, if any.
Upholstery and Carpeting
The interior design of the Passenger Module minimizes the chances of fire or toxic smoke by using naturally fire-resistant wool carpeting and seat upholstery instead of flammable synthetic fibers.
IVA Suits for Pilots and Crew
The pilots, stewards, and other flight crew wear IVA suits for the duration of the flight. This allows the pilots to operate the Spaceplane normally while giving stewards the mobility needed for attending to passengers, including verifying that the Spacepod clamshells are properly sealed if needed.
Re-entry Revolution: From Heat to Control
Traditionally, re-entry into Earth's atmosphere has been a harrowing ordeal. Spacecraft like the Starship will rely on bulky Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) tiles to withstand the scorching heat generated by friction with the air at hypersonic speeds. These tiles, while effective, add significant weight and complexity to spacecraft design.
Titans Space's Paradigm Shift
By leveraging extensive research, Titans Space is pioneering the development of innovative aerodynamic systems for high-altitude speed reduction. This revolutionary approach promises to significantly decrease reliance on bulky Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles, fundamentally transforming the safety aspect for re-entry of our spaceplanes.
The Future of Re-entry:
Titans Space's innovative aerodynamic systems hold immense potential for transforming space travel. Their approach promises not only safer and more efficient re-entry, but also paves the way for a new generation of lighter, reusable spacecraft, opening up exciting possibilities for the future of space exploration.
Details of Titans Space's thermal protection and re-entry solution (and many others) are closely guarded. We will strategically disclose information to select third parties under the protection of a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
The content below provides in-depth information about the Titans Spaceplanes regarding use cases, design, engineering, and capabilities.
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About Titans Space Industries
Titans Space is creating a streamlined Earth-to-lunar surface transport infrastructure with spaceplanes, space stations, spaceships, and dedicated lunar vehicles for landing and travel.
Titans Space intends to:
? Become the largest LEO and Lunar Space tourism company
? Become the largest Real Estate owner in Space and the Moon
? Become the largest Lunar commerce and mining company (from 2031 onwards)
Titans Space Industries (TSI) was founded by a group of 15 partners with a combined 450 years of business experience, representing investor interests in Titans Universe/TSI. They worked together on numerous projects for a combined 200+ years.
The founding team includes a 28-year-veteran space entrepreneur and satellite broadband pioneer, a PE fund manager who raised more than $6 billion in capital, a 40+ year rocketry and aerodynamics veteran, a 40+ year Space entrepreneur and activist, a Hall-of-Fame NBA basketball legend, a former Head of Business Development at Apple, a multi-billion-dollar business strategist, a former MD of KPMG NYC who advised on 100+ PE and M&A transactions, and the former CFO of a Formula One racing team and public listed companies.
Our Founding CEO, Neal S. Lachman is a serial entrepreneur with 35 years of investment, business, space, technology, and telecom experience. In 1992, he picked up the phone and started communicating with companies like PanAmSat. He has been a space entrepreneur ever since 1994/1995 when he and two of his brothers applied and received three international digital satellite broadcast licenses.