Variable Pitch Screw Launcher (from Earth to Mars)

The Variable-Pitch Screw Launch (VPSL) utilizes magnetic coupling with variable pitch leadscrews to achieve high exit velocities at significantly reduced costs compared to traditional chemical rockets. VPSL addresses the limitations of current linear accelerators by circumventing the switching constraints of linear motors and eliminating the rail wear commonly associated with railguns.

More information on this technology can be found in the paper "Human-Rated Launch Infrastructure for the Interplanetary Era: Breaking Rocket and Legacy EML Cost Barriers".

The claims made below support a specific proposed variant of the VPSL system that is earth-based and designed to support a relatively near-term crewed outpost on Mars for a duration of roughly 10 Mars-transfer windows.