The Orbital Electromagnetic Injection System (OEM-IS), or "Space Slingshot", is a revolutionary infrastructure concept designed to redefine space logistics and interplanetary travel. Positioned at theEarth-Moon L5 Lagrange point, OEM-IS exploits gravitational equilibrium and zero debris risk to establish the first propellant-free interplanetary logistics hub. Utilizing microgravity and near-perfect vacuum, OEM-IS accelerates payloads up to 1, 000 kg along a 1-km orbital track to 7 km/s with approximately 2, 500 g acceleration. By eliminating atmospheric drag and propellant requirements, it achieves unprecedented efficiency – using electromagnetic acceleration in microgravity. The L5 location provides inherent orbital stability, eliminating catastrophic recoil concerns through natural equilibrium restoration and enabling safe high-cadence operations without collision risk to Earth orbital infrastructure. OEM-IS integrates an advanced Precision Control System (PCS) and a high-power pulsed architecture with the physical space infrastructure. Peak pulse power of 85.7 GW and kinetic energy of 24.5 GJ demonstrate feasibility aligned with modern high-energy railgun prototypes. The proposal includes detailed engineering solutions for the critical challenges of recoil mitigation, G-force attenuation, and thermal management of High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS). The proposal outlines a path from a 1-km prototype to a 250-km Orbital Extension System (EOS), enabling routine 40-ton interplanetary missions and establishing strategic control of cislunar logistics, providing technological and economic leadership in space resource utilization and asteroid mining operations.
Mark Nadilo (Fri,) studied this question.