Innovation Title:
Relay based system to launch a projectile.
Name and Age of Inventors (at the time of innovation):
Mikaeel Faisal Khan (12)
Zaynab Khan (13)
Faraz Rahman (13)
Mohammed Omer Shakoor (11)
Ishaq Nadeem Khan (12)
Shoaib Ali (14)
Bilal Syed Ali Shah (11)
Problem Statement:
Satellite launches are a costly affair. Especially for the rockets to leave the atmosphere as Rockets in a vacuum are usually much more efficient.
Today, it costs $10,000 to put a pound of payload in Earth orbit. NASA’s goal is to reduce the cost of getting to space to hundreds of dollars per pound within 25 years and tens of dollars per pound within 40 years.
Huge rockets spend the majority of their fuel reaching their first 60 miles of height.
About the Innovation:
Young innovators at DiscoverSTEM developed a system to launch a projectile using a relay or series of catch and launch platforms. These series of floating platforms float at a pre-calculated height from each other and the payload is shot at them using an electromagnetic rail gun and caught using a catcher.
The final platform launches it in space where the payload starts its smaller rocket engine to climb up to Earth’s orbit. This invention was sent to NASA Ames Space Settlement Challenge where it competed against 10,000 student’s innovations from 30 countries and received the FIRST prize worldwide!
Patent Certificate:
![US Patent Certificate: Relay based system to launch a projectile [11536534]](http://discoverstem.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Patent-1-Relay-Projectile-min.jpg)
US Patent Grant Date:
December 27, 2022
United States Patent Publication Number:
11536534
Awards & Recognition:
Winner of 1st Prize at NASA Ames Space Settlement Challenge 2018
To Read Patent Details:
Click Here USPTO | Google Patents
