Feasibility Study of Superconducting LSM Rocket Launcher System

A feasibility study is presented on an application of superconducting linear synchronous motor (LSM) to a large-scale rocket launcher, whose acceleration guide tube of LSM armature windings is constructed as far as the depth of 1,500 meters under the ground. The rocket is released from the linear launcher just after it gets to a peak speed of about 900 kilometers per hour, and flies out the guide tube to obtain the speed of 700 kilometers per hour at the height of 100 meters above the ground. The linear launcher is brought to a stop at the ground surface for a very short time of 5 seconds by a quick control of deceleration. Very large current variations in the single- layer windings of LSM armature which is produced at the higher speed region of 600 to 900 kilometers per hour are controlled successfully by adopting the double layer windings. The proposed control method makes the rocket launcher ascend stably in the superconducting LSM system, controlling the Coriolis force.