Skylon (spacecraft)
Skylon is a design for an unmanned space shuttle the British company Reaction Engines Limited ( REL).
- 3.1 Overview
Mission Profile
To propel it uses an engine that makes it possible to achieve an orbit by a single step. This process is referred to as SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit ). The company plans an entire fleet this fellow, the design is designed for up to 200 -fold reusability. Studies have calculated that the cost per kilogram of payload could fall from the current € 18,000 / kg to 800 € / kg ( as of 2011). This includes the cost of research and development. It is expected that the costs will fall even further if the initial costs have only amortized. The total cost of the program is estimated by the developer to about 12 billion U.S. dollars. There are targeted unit cost of 190 million U.S. dollars.
The hydrogen-powered aircraft would take off from a normal runway and accelerate to a height of 26 km at about Mach 5.4. Up to this amount would be used as for conventional aircraft engines air oxygen to then, switch to reaching orbit, the internal tank with liquid oxygen (LOX ). There, up to 12 -ton payload could be notched, then the space shuttle would land back on Earth. The payload could be transported in a standard container payload.
The re-entry would run similar from like the space shuttle. The aircraft must also be protected from the heat of the resulting re-entry with a ceramic shell. If the plan of developers, Skylon would be ready to start again after two days of inspection and necessary maintenance. 2010, only a small part of the necessary funding was secured, which are necessary for the development and construction of a prototype Skylon. Research at SABRE engine go with the support of ESA on. In January 2011, REL requested further means the UK government and subsequently received 350 million U.S. dollars. The testing of key technologies (especially the pre-cooler ) was successfully completed in November 2012; Now the final phase of the project begins.
Research and Development
Background
Skylon is based on the earlier project HOTOL by Alan Bond, whose development began in 1982. At this time, the space technology focused specifically on reusable launch systems, such as the American Space Shuttle. In collaboration with British Aerospace and Rolls Royce to a design drew from, which turned out to be so promising that the British government invested 3.2 million U.S. dollars in the funding of the project.
Financing and engine development
After discussions with the British National Space Centre (later the UK Space Agency), around one million euros was provided by the British National Space Centre, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Reaction Engines Limited ( REL ) to prepare a demonstration machine from Skylon.
This technology demonstration program lasted about 2.5 years and will be promoted with a further million by ESA. Through this program, Reaction Engines Ltd. rises in the Technology Readiness Level scale of 2-3 on a value of 4-5. Former British Minister for Science and Innovation Lord Drayson commented on 2009 Skylon in a speech: " This is an example of a British company Developing World - beating technology with exciting Consequences for the future of space. "
As of 2010, the focus was exclusively on the development of engines with the help of another one million euros from the ESA. In January 2011, REL asked the British government for further funds for the Skylon project. On 13 April 2011 announced REL, the Skylon design have passed several rigorous test runs. On 24 May 2011, ESA officially declared that the design would be feasible, since no defects are visible.
The greatest success of the static tests of the SABRE engines was reached in June 2011, which marked the start of phase 3 in the Skylon development program. An REL spokesperson announced that around 350 million euros were invested in the project, but this is contingent upon successful completion of the tests with a complete engine in June 2011.
On 9 May 2011 REL stated that a prototype of Skylon could already 2016 graduate its first suborbital flight. One possible route would be from the ESA spaceport in French Guiana over the Atlantic to the rocket launch site Esrange in northern Sweden. Alan Bond announced on December 8th at the Appleton Space Conference that the commissioning Skylons been targeted by 2020 will be delayed to 2021-2022.
In April 2012, REL confirmed the successful completion of the first test phase, the pre-cooler of the engine. REL was on July 10 announced that two -thirds of a series of test were successful. On July 13, said ESA Director General Jean -Jacques Dordain Space News, the ESA will hold talks with REL in order to " technical knowledge ".
Technology and Design
Survey
Skylon is a single-stage Space Shuttle ( SSTO ), ie it reaches the Earth's orbit without additional aids (such as booster or extra fuel tanks). Proponents of SSTO claim due to their complexity can in multistage systems faster problems and errors may occur. It is also extremely difficult, sometimes even impossible to reuse some parts of what great cost -causing. From SSTO drafts therefore we promise an enormous Kostenredizierung for space flights. It is planned that Skylon starts from a specially strengthened runway, penetrates into low Earth orbit and after the re-entry as a normal plane lands on a runway.
The draft ' Skylon C2' is characterized by a large cylindrical payload chamber which is 13 m long and has a diameter of 4.8 m.