The Space Kitten will use engines made from ceramic materials and burn a mixture of methane and liquid oxygen, generating a maximum 3g of thrust. If you have an itch to fly into space and half a million dollars to spare, you may soon be able to nip down to the store and buy a spaceship in kit form. Once assembled, the craft, called the Kitten, will take you and two friends 200 kilometres up at a top speed of Mach 4. In marketing the Kitten as a kit that enthusiasts can buy, Cerulean is going one better than its competition. The idea may not be as far-fetched as it seems.
Amateurs already build and fly kits for all kinds of aircraft, including helicopters and jet planes.
This makes it easier to make sure the craft is safe, says Hill. The ship will use engines made from ceramic materials and burn a mixture of methane and liquid oxygen, generating a maximum 3g of thrust. To save weight, compressed nitrogen will both cool the engines and power hydraulic systems, while a laptop computer with special software will help the pilot fly the craft. Because the Kitten won't reach orbit, it won't need a heavy heat shield for re-entry. Hill says universities might buy the kit to run zero-gravity experiments or other space research.