  The problem of launching a tethered aircraft to be used for airborne wind
energy generation is investigated. Exploiting well-assessed physical
principles, an analysis of three different take-off approaches is carried out.
The approaches are then compared on the basis of quantitative and qualitative
criteria introduced to assess their technical and economic viability. Finally,
a deeper study of the concept that is deemed the most viable one, i.e. a linear
take-off maneuver combined with on-board propellers, is performed by means of
numerical simulations. The latter are used to refine the initial analysis in
terms of power required for take-off, and further confirm the viability of the
approach.
