Impulse [Tanker]

Iridium Space’s new fully reusable super heavy lift launch vehicle. Using new and revolutionary technology combined with an achievable budget allow an elegant and fine-tuned solution to delivering crew and cargo to LEO. This next-gen launch vehicle uses new technologies such as:

Lightweight Carbon Fibre as the construction material allows for far more capability and a new engine strategy

No bulky and costly launch infrastructure. The vehicle is fuelled by underground tanks through a flap in the launch pad which closes after fuelling.

Full reusability, similar to the SpaceX Starship

As Sir Peter Beck said “the key to reusable rockets are not to have engines stressed to their limits. There is absolutely no point in having an engine that is busting its bolts at 11,000 psi, when all you need for a reliable, reusable launch vehicle is an engine that can be used again and again at very low stress and very high margains.” We have taken this and, during development, we realised that instead of having a 29 engine layout, with each engine delivering 2000kN force (200t), we should change to a 59 engine layout with each engine posessing half the thrust and far higher efficiency. This allows for more thrust overall and more efficiency. We took a similar approach with the second stage, by replacing the 6 Phoenix Vac engines with 12 half-thrust, higher efficiency Phoenix Vac engines, and the three Sea-Level Phoenix engines with six.

Hotstaging, the simplest, safest and most efficient method of staging

Actuating Canards at the top of the booster for control during reentry

AG4 + Roll Slider for Canard control