An autonomous aircraft for the delivery of small satellites appeared

This autonomous complex of the world's largest drone and launch vehicle has a length of 24 m and a span of

wings 18 m. Its total take-off weight is 25 tons.

The drone is very similar to a regular plane and willFly like a real plane, taking off from any 1.6 km runway, without having to manage the infrastructure of an expensive launch pad.

In flight, it drops a two-stagea launch vehicle that can launch a payload weighing up to 500 kg into low-earth orbit. According to the CEO of Aevum Jay Skylus, the system will be ready for operation within a year and a half.

As representatives of the startup stated, theirThe design, unlike its peers, optimizes each launch taking into account variables such as weather conditions, air traffic, in-orbit destination, payload weight, ground crew schedules and other processes. This, they say, guarantees uninterrupted offline service.

After being delivered to low-earth orbit, the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) must return to Earth, land on the runway and park in the hangar.

Several launch flights have already been planned, whichwill take place from the Cecil Spaceport. The company added that they have already signed several contracts worth more than $1 billion, in particular this is an agreement for the first official mission to launch small satellites with the US Space Force. 

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