Could a private citizen build a rocket that can get into space?

[Red Iron Crown]

I was a model rocketry guy when I was younger, and I was wondering if it is possible for a well-funded amateur to build a rocket that could get out of the atmosphere. How much would it cost? I've seen some of the costs per Kg to LEO, but I suspect they're not realistic for homemade rockets.

Obviously, we're not going to build anything with a significant payload, so let's assume we're just putting a 1 Kg payload on a suborbital trajectory that exits the atmosphere. Bonus points for achieving orbit, though I know that is much more challenging.

So the question is threefold:

1. What are there regulatory obstructions that would prevent one from doing this? Are there countries where it would be easier than others, legally?

2. Assuming it can be done legally, how would you design such a rocket? What parts would be hardest to source?

3. Assuming you can get approval and source the parts, how much would the rocket cost to build, fuel and launch? I realize no one can be precise about this, just order of magnitude estimates would be good.

This is not a practical question, just a thought experiment on a Friday afternoon.

Dear NSA, when you read this, I am not actually planning to build a rocket for nefarious purposes or otherwise. I am a peaceful Canadian who harbors no ill will towards the US. Also, please stop reading my email and listening to my phone calls.

[SargeRho]

Getting into space is really easy actually...Orbit is the hard part.

[astropapi1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Suborbitals

There you go. Have fun investigating their work.

[shynung]

Briefly, yes. Orbiting, that's another story.

I think one of the hardest part of launching space-going rockets as a civilian would be obtaining the fuel. If some regular guy suddenly bought tens of kilograms of liquid oxygen, especially if he is not a welder, he is sure to attract suspicion.

Edited March 28, 2014 by shynung

[Accelerando]

1kg payload to suborbital is indeed possible. if you had some millions of dollars to blow, you might be able to do JAXA one better than its first orbital rocket, the Lambda 4S, an all-solid fuel, 16.5m-tall, ~10-tonne rocket with a payload capacity of 26kg.

[Tarrow]

1. What are there regulatory obstructions that would prevent one from doing this? Are there countries where it would be easier than others, legally?

I'd think an amateur building something capable of a trans-atmospheric flightpath is going to be very very difficult to do legally.

The line between "private rocket launch" and "privately owned ICBM / ASAT weapon" is after all only a difference in payload.

You do remember what happened to the guy who took the space-gun design and tried building it somewhere unregulated, don't you?

If some regular guy suddenly bought tens of kilograms of liquid oxygen, especially if he is not a welder, he is sure to attract suspicion.

LOx sales aren't monitored or regulated in any particular way. I buy nitrous oxide 150lb at a time and no-one's ever asked what I'm using it for....

[Red Iron Crown]

1kg payload to suborbital is indeed possible. if you had some millions of dollars to blow, you might be able to do JAXA one better than its first orbital rocket, the Lambda 4S, an all-solid fuel, 16.5m-tall, ~10-tonne rocket with a payload capacity of 26kg.

Hmm, so an orbital, 1Kg-payload rocket could be less than 400kg, assuming a similar payload fraction. That's much less than I was expecting.

[Red Iron Crown]

I'd think an amateur building something capable of a trans-atmospheric flightpath is going to be very very difficult to do legally.

The line between "private rocket launch" and "privately owned ICBM / ASAT weapon" is after all only a difference in payload.

Similarly, the line between "private aircraft" and "privately owned fighter bomber" is after all only a difference in payload, but there are many, many private aircraft. Do you know if there are specific regulations that apply to private rockets?

[DaveofDefeat]

Space X is doing it so yea it is legal. The paperwork is probably a mile long, and you'd need a couple lawyers to hash it out, but if you got the money its no problem. Personally I would recommend creating a corporation first so you'll be more legally protected.

[vger]

I'd think an amateur building something capable of a trans-atmospheric flightpath is going to be very very difficult to do legally.

The line between "private rocket launch" and "privately owned ICBM / ASAT weapon" is after all only a difference in payload.

Wasn't this very problem a major plot-point in "The Astronaut Farmer?"

Though, in that case, the payload was a lot bigger than just trying to get a rocket into space.

But yeah, if you jump through all the hoops properly, you don't need to be married to the government to go into space. You're going to have a lot of people around making sure you're not just trying to light up a house though (either the white house, or your ex's)

Edited March 28, 2014 by vger

[Rakaydos]

I don know about space, but any launch through aircraft cruising altitudes needs to let the FAA know. I used to participate with a group that would launch large solid fuel "model" rockets from a nevada desert, and not only did the FAA have to know, we were not allowed to launch when any aircraft was visible above the horizon.

[Kryten]

Hmm, so an orbital, 1Kg-payload rocket could be less than 400kg, assuming a similar payload fraction. That's much less than I was expecting.

Rockets don't tend to scale that neatly, because things like propellent tanks can only be so thin. The smallest orbital rocket that's actually been tested was ~1kg to LEO for just under a ton, but that was air-launched from a supersonic aircraft.

I'd think an amateur building something capable of a trans-atmospheric flightpath is going to be very very difficult to do legally.

An amateur rocket group (Civilian Space eXploration Team) broke the Karman barrier in 2004, and John Carmack's group send a rocket to 90+km before running out of money. Obviously you need all of the right licensing, but it's not restricted to e.g. traded companies.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Kryten

[Winter Man]

I don know about space, but any launch through aircraft cruising altitudes needs to let the FAA know. I used to participate with a group that would launch large solid fuel "model" rockets from a nevada desert, and not only did the FAA have to know, we were not allowed to launch when any aircraft was visible above the horizon.

Maybe in America, yeah. The trick is (I mean, we're talking someone with the funds to build an orbital rocket) to launch it from a more screwing around-friendly country.

[Doozler]

Possibly OT, but these guys put a paper aircraft into "space" (>100 km)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/Wrap/paris/

[Dispatcher]

With enough financial and political resources, possibly.

[Tarrow]

Similarly, the line between "private aircraft" and "privately owned fighter bomber" is after all only a difference in payload, but there are many, many private aircraft.

Yet I can guarantee you there'll be no private aircraft in the air within many many miles of the NATO summit this autumn.

In terms of regs in general, you're looking at the Tripoli Rocket Association and / or National Association of Rocketry as the overseeing bodies (in the US). Most other countries regs are based on these too, so they're a good outline. I know that the largest ready-manufactured engine available without special permissions is a size O, for a total impulse of no more than 40,960 Ns. There are three licensing stages below that output level. Anything larger than that needs a special permit from the FAA or equivalent. Beyond that you'd probably have to speak to the regulators themselves as details of the exact permissions required to launch an engine like that are highly area-specific.

Avionics is the biggest sticking point in terms of construction, with most existing systems covered by various export restrictions which even private companies / individuals have to abide by. You could probably engineer you own these days (decent computers are small and cheap) but regs around that would be very region specific. Moving to a less regulated country during development may help but that can in itself bring it's own issues, especially if you're developing something that the less developed country could re-purpose for military use. Again your best bet is going to be to speak to the regulators themselves regarding what you can design and / or purchase without smacking into too many restrictions.

[rpayne88]

If you launch in the U.S., you would run into issues with the FAA. They don't need to risk a mid-air collision (you've got a higher chance of getting struck by lightning, surviving, and hitting the lottery in one day) between your rocket (now referred to as a SAM by the FAA) and a plane. An easy solution to this problem: launch it from a boat in international waters and make sure it does not come down anywhere it shouldn't.

[jwenting]

I'd think an amateur building something capable of a trans-atmospheric flightpath is going to be very very difficult to do legally.

The line between "private rocket launch" and "privately owned ICBM / ASAT weapon" is after all only a difference in payload.

You do remember what happened to the guy who took the space-gun design and tried building it somewhere unregulated, don't you?

he got a popular novel written about it?

But yes. Building and launching a rocket that can go any altitude higher than the top of your roofline is going to put you in serious trouble with aviation authorities in most countries (any country that has aviation authorities most likely).

And in many if not most countries building a rocket at all will get you arrested for possession of illegal weapons and/or explosives and/or regulated chemicals (depending on what your exact design is).

Heck, most EU countries you can't even build a fireworks rocket without a permit.

[jwenting]

Maybe in America, yeah. The trick is (I mean, we're talking someone with the funds to build an orbital rocket) to launch it from a more screwing around-friendly country.

The US probably is the most friendly country for that (for now). If you want one with less regulation, you're likely to end up in a place like Equatorial Guinea or Malawi, and there you've quite different problems that make it very difficult if not impossible. Things like government officials using armed gangs (oops, the army) to "persuade" you to pay bribes.

[Langkard]

A minor sub-theme in David Brin's latest sci-fi novel "Existence" deals with that very concept. Rich 20-something children of "trillies" (trillionaires) making sub-orbital joy rides in privately built rockets.

[Red Iron Crown]

I think Ecuador would be a good choice for launch location, Chimborazo is almost on the equator and tall enough to get out of the thickest part of the atmosphere. I have no idea what the legal climate is like there, though.

[Tarrow]

Heck, most EU countries you can't even build a fireworks rocket without a permit.

And it's rather stupid the rules they use to enforce it. Don't know if the rest of the EU has gone this mental but in the UK people have been prosecuted (under anti-terror regulations) for mere possession of the formulae for rocket fuels & smoke-producing compounds. Possession of self-manufactured materials for fireworks is a basis for a fully-armed police response, a military ordinance disposal team and a few years in a cell (as some poor bugger in Yorkshire found out earlier this month).

I think Ecuador would be a good choice for launch location, Chimborazo is almost on the equator and tall enough to get out of the thickest part of the atmosphere. I have no idea what the legal climate is like there, though.

Ecuador's civilian space agency uses launch facilities in Russia to deploy their satellites. If they could launch from Ecuador without too many legislative hurdles to leap I'm sure they would.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Tarrow

[Rakaydos]

And it's rather stupid the rules they use to enforce it. Don't know if the rest of the EU has gone this mental but in the UK people have been prosecuted (under anti-terror regulations) for mere possession of the formulae for rocket fuels & smoke-producing compounds. Possession of self-manufactured materials for fireworks is a basis for a fully-armed police response, a military ordinance disposal team and a few years in a cell (as some poor bugger in Yorkshire found out earlier this month).

In the US, my father has a licence to mix custom model rocket engines... and an affidavit from the Department of Homeland Security that he is a rational person.

As for Equdor, you also have to consider that the cost of building a space center, effectively on Mt Everest's brother, may be outside the budget of a tiny south american nation. However, if the ground logistics could be worked out, it would be the ideal place to launch equatoial and ecliptic based misions.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Rakaydos

[vger]

And it's rather stupid the rules they use to enforce it. Don't know if the rest of the EU has gone this mental but in the UK people have been prosecuted (under anti-terror regulations) for mere possession of the formulae for rocket fuels & smoke-producing compounds. Possession of self-manufactured materials for fireworks is a basis for a fully-armed police response, a military ordinance disposal team and a few years in a cell (as some poor bugger in Yorkshire found out earlier this month).

How hard is it to get a pyrotechnics's license in the U.K. though? In the U.S. that's the easy part. The regulations for actually possessing any amount of explosive material is where they get you. It amounts to having to build a bunker to store it (and I'm even talking about just a few pounds of unprocessed powders), and the bunker needs to be a certain distance from all nearby residences. So, you pretty much need to own land in the middle of nowhere (in addition to your own house) before you can even think about it.

[Motokid600]

If you have enough money you can do anything you want. If Donald Trump woke up tomorrow morning and said "Y'know what? I want to put my hair into orbit." He could do it.

The only thing that's fuzzy for me is.. what do you do to prevent an orbital collision? Say you have the money and you build a rocket that can do the job. What do you do with the payload once its in orbit? You have the FAA clearance, but what about Nasa's clearance?

Would one also have to invest in tracking if they were to put something into orbit? Or could that be subbed out? What if I'm a billionaire who lives in the middle of the Atacama desert with just this orbit-capable rocket.and nothing else? I launch this thing how do I know I'm not going induce kessler syndrome?

"We have MECO! ... Oh, wait a minute.. opps"