I have seen loads of innovative projects on Kickstarter getting a good start and managing to get their ideas into production. But this Kickstarter project from STAR (Space Transport and Recovery) Systems, Phoenix, Arizona based team of visionary aerospace entrepreneurs is one like never seen before. Looking to make sub-orbital space travel (where you can experience zero gravity and see the curvature of Earth) easily affordable for the common man,STAR Systems team is looking to develop the Hermes Spacecraft (named after ancient Greek god of boundaries) which will take on the much more expensive space travel options being provided by Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures head on.
The small scale prototype model of the spacecraft that resembles some of the NASA space shuttles have been built and the next step is to prepare a full scale model for testing of the hybrid rocket propulsion system (also called as Enabling Hybrid Rocket Propulsion System) capable of generating 2,268 kg of thrust. According to plans the spacecraft will have single stage rocket booster system propelling it well over the Mac 3 speeds (2,284 mph/3,675 km/h) and maximum altitude that it can go is 328000 feet or approximately 100 kilometers.
The spacecraft will have seating capacity for 6 passengers and the crew will include 2 members, so in total it will carry 8 people at a time into sub-orbital space. For now the Kickstarter project is about raising $20,000 for construction and testing of full-scale motor. In the long term the goal is to prepare Hermes spacecraft which will cost around $4 million, so better check out this awesome project on Kickstarter and pledge a certain amount if you are interested by the fantasy of space travel.
Via: Gizmag
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