Lowering Orbital Launch Costs at Phantom Space

Engineer and co-founder Jim Cantrell on the future of low-cost access to Earth orbit.

It is generally agreed that to make humanity a genuinely spacefaring species, the cost to lift mass to lower the orbit must be reduced by orders of magnitude compared to current systems. The original orbital launch systems were derived from ICBMs, characterized by high acquisition costs, complex engineering and huge technical institutional overheads, maintaining a very modest lunch cadence. 

Today, private corporations are advancing state-of-the-art rocket technology and dropping launch costs while improving reliability enough to make regular flights to orbit possible almost on airliner-like schedules. Engineer and co-founder of Phantom Space, Jim Cantrell, describes Phantom’s approach to better access to orbit.

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Written by

James Anderton

Jim Anderton is the Director of Content for ENGINEERING.com. Mr. Anderton was formerly editor of Canadian Metalworking Magazine and has contributed to a wide range of print and on-line publications, including Design Engineering, Canadian Plastics, Service Station and Garage Management, Autovision, and the National Post. He also brings prior industry experience in quality and part design for a Tier One automotive supplier.