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Spaceflight from Super-Earths is difficult

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2018

Michael Hippke Open the ORCID record for Michael Hippke [Opens in a new window]
Michael Hippke*
Affiliation:
Sonneberg Observatory, Sternwartestr. 32, 9 6515 Sonneberg, Germany
*
Author for correspondence: Michael Hippke, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than the Earth and have higher surface gravity. This makes space-flight on these worlds very challenging because the required fuel mass for a given payload is an exponential function of planetary surface gravity, exp(g0). We find that chemical rockets still allow for escape velocities on Super-Earths up to 10× Earth mass. More massive rocky worlds, if they exist, would require other means to leave the planet, such as nuclear propulsion. This is relevant for space colonization and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Keywords

SpaceflightSETISuper-Earth
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 18 , Issue 5 , October 2019 , pp. 393 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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