Aevum develops rocket-launching UAV for space missions

Aevum has developed an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to deploy rockets for space launch missions every three hours at a price point of just under USD4,000 per payload kilogram.

Jay Skylus, company founder and CEO, told Janes in a November interview embargoed until 3 December that the Ravn X is the world’s largest UAV by mass. The aircraft is 24 m long with a 18 m wingspan and is 5.5 m tall.

Aevum’s Ravn X autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for space launch mission. Larger than a RQ-4B Global Hawk, the Ravn X is designed to perform missions every three hours. (Aevum)

Skylus compared the Ravn X’s size to the US Air Force (USAF) Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV, which has more than twice the wingspan as the Ravn X at 40 m. But the Ravn X, Skylus said, is longer, taller, and 9,072 kg heavier than the RQ-4B.

Skylus told Janes on 3 December that the Aevum rocket is 10.7 m long and roughly 1 m in diameter. It can deliver 500 kg to low earth orbit (LEO) and 100 kg of payload to 500 km sun synchronous orbit (SSO).

Aevum designed the Ravn X in-house and partnered with “very mature” aircraft manufacturers to produce the aircraft. The company also designed the rocket from scratch. Skylus said he has already developed the rocket and Ravn X UAV.

The Ravn X does not require a launch site as it can takeoff, and land, horizontally from any runway that is at least 1.6 km long. Skylus said that the Ravn X will takeoff, climb to altitude, and accelerate before deploying the rocket.