Mass drivers are more cost-effective than reusable rockets due to their energy efficiency, reusable infrastructure, lower material costs, simpler logistics, and reduced maintenance requirements. Once built, a mass driver primarily incurs costs for maintenance and electricity, avoiding the extensive refurbishment and fueling expenses associated with rockets.

• A mass-driver, also known as an electromagnetic catapult, is a device that uses electromagnetic forces to propel objects at high speeds. It is often proposed for launching payloads into space.

• A mass-driver operates by using a series of electromagnetic coils to accelerate a payload along a track. As the payload moves through the coils, it is pushed forward by rapidly changing magnetic fields.

Mass-drivers can launch a variety of payloads, including satellites, cargo, and potentially even humans, though significant engineering challenges remain for manned missions.

• Currently, there are experimental prototypes and concepts, but no fully operational large-scale mass-driver systems. Research and development are ongoing.

Mass-drivers can theoretically accelerate payloads to speeds of several kilometers per second, sufficient to reach orbit or travel to other planets.

Yes, payloads launched by a mass-driver would experience intense heating due to atmospheric friction when re-entering or passing through Earth’s atmosphere. To prevent burning, payloads must be equipped with heat shields or other thermal protection systems, similar to those used in traditional spacecraft re-entry. These systems are designed to absorb and dissipate the heat generated during high-speed atmospheric collision, ensuring the payload remains intact and functional.

• Ideal locations for mass-drivers include the Moon and other celestial bodies with low gravity and no atmosphere, as well as Earth-based sites with large open areas, like deserts or the ocean.

• Mass-drivers can launch a variety of payloads, including satellites, cargo, and potentially even humans, though significant engineering challenges remain for manned missions. But what we are building is a cargo version.