Flying cosmodrome: Ukraine is preparing a breakthrough in rocketry
Ukrainian engineers have presented a 14-ton Orbit Boy rocket that will be launched directly from an airplane. Without launch pads, without spaceports. And, importantly, without state funding. The first full-fledged launches could take place as early as 2025.
This is discussed in the building-tech article.
The concept of launching a rocket from the air is not new. In Ukraine, work on it began in the early 2000s. It was planned to use giant transport aircraft, such as the An-124 Ruslan or even the legendary Mriya, as a carrier. The principle was simple: the aircraft lifts the rocket to a height of about 8 km, drops it through a cargo hatch, stabilizing it with a parachute — and the engine turns on in the air.
After a long “frozen” period, the idea was brought to life in 2019–2020. It was then that the Boy Launcher project appeared, which later grew into a full-fledged Orbit Boy rocket.
Orbit Boy is 11.6 meters long, weighs 14.5 tons, and can carry up to 200 kg of payload into low orbit. It is designed primarily to launch microsatellites, scientific platforms, or private commercial cargo.
The rocket is placed inside a cargo plane on a special cart. After dropping, a parachute stabilizes its fall, then the cart is detached, the rocket is leveled and the solid-fuel engine is turned on.
Similar projects already exist in the world — for example, the American LauncherOne from Virgin Orbit. But the Ukrainian rocket has the advantage: it does not require a specialized aircraft for launch. Orbit Boy can work with an Il-76, An-70, or even a Boeing C-17. That is, logistics are much cheaper and more flexible.
This makes the Ukrainian project a real competitor in the international market for launching small satellites, which is only growing every year.
At the start, we managed to attract about $3 million in private investment — enough to develop a model and conduct the first ground tests.
To reach regular launches, another UAH 150 million in investment is needed. This would potentially allow for up to 20 launches per year.
In 2022, the rocket model was presented in Poland, where it received positive feedback from European partners.
Launches are possible as early as 2025. Ukraine is considering options for launching from European airfields, in cooperation with foreign companies. If the project receives support, Orbit Boy could open the door to resuscitating the Ukrainian space program and returning the country to the top league of rocketry.
This is a symbol that Ukraine is capable of building complex high-tech equipment even during war. This is a challenge to the world: the Ukrainian engineering school is alive and ready to fight not only on the front, but also for a place in the future of space.
As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are striking targets in the territory of the Russian Federation with their own Ukrainian-made weapons.
As reported, the country has received a new generation cruise missile called “Flamingo” . Its range is 3,000 km, and the warhead weighs one ton — twice as powerful as the American Tomahawk. The missile is an analogue of the FP-5 from the Milanion Group, which is already ready to produce dozens of such weapons every month.
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