Into space without a rocket: JP Aerospace has shown the new Hazel concept

Into space without a rocket: JP Aerospace presents the new Hazel concept

The images released by the head of the organization, John Powell, show the black, wing-shaped Hazel craft separating from a giant high-altitude airship called the SuperTandem.

According to Powell's explanation, these frames are computer animation from an upcoming video about Hazel. That is, they are not real flight footage.

The new visualization has once again drawn attention to the Airship to Orbit concept, which JP Aerospace has been developing for several decades.

The main goal of this idea is to gradually deliver people and cargo into orbit using lighter-than-air vehicles, namely giant aerostats and airships.

JP Aerospace calls itself "America's other space program." The organization has been operating on a non-profit basis for more than 40 years and relies mainly on volunteer labor. During this period, it has been led by John Powell.

The Airship to Orbit program offers a scenario that differs drastically from a traditional rocket launch.

In the first stage, a stratospheric airship is supposed to deliver passengers and cargo to the Dark Sky Station, which is planned to be located in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

After that, an even larger orbital airship comes into play.

According to the project, this vehicle is to accelerate very slowly and gradually using electric engines, eventually reaching orbital speed.

Such a journey could take several days.

This is a completely different approach to a conventional rocket launch. Traditional rockets pass through the atmosphere in a few minutes, reaching enormous speeds and consuming a huge amount of energy to do so.

The JP Aerospace idea, on the other hand, involves lifting the passenger or cargo to altitude gradually, rather than instantly, and then slowly bringing them to orbital speed.

JP Aerospace has practically demonstrated that large aerostat-based vehicles can rise to high altitudes.