Skylon spaceplane, uk the spacecraft of tomorrow

1. Skylon Spaceplane, UK The Spacecraft of Tomorrow

2. Introduction Skylon is a design for a single-stage-to-orbit spacepalne by the British company Reaction Engines Limited (REL), using SABRE, a combined-cycle, air-breathing rocket propulsion system, potentially reusable for 200 flights. The vehicle design is for a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft that would take off from a conventional runway, and accelerate to Mach 5.4 at 26 km (16 mi) altitude using the atmosphere before switching the engines to use the internal liquid oxygen(LOX) supply to take it into orbit. Once in orbit it would release its payload of up to 15 tons. If all goes to plan, the first test flights could happen in 2019, and Skylon could be visiting the International Space Station by 2022. It could carry 15 tons of cargo to a 300 km equatorial orbit on each trip, and up to 11 tons to the International Space Station, almost 45% more than the capacity of the European Space Agency's ATV vehicle.

3. Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre) The proposed SABRE engine is not a scramjet, but a jet engine running combined cycles of a precooled jet engine, rocket engine and ramjet. Sabre has the unique ability to use oxygen in the air rather than from external liquid-oxygen tanks. The Skylon could be ready to head back to space within two days of landing. Air traveling at Mach 5 enters the engine and passes through a heat exchanger. There, a network of paper-thin metal tubes filled with liquid helium chill the 2,000F air to 238F almost instantly. That chilled air flows into the turbo compressor, then into the thrust chambers, where it's mixed with liquid hydrogen and ignited to produce thrust for the spacecraft.

4. Design Skylon is a fully reusable single stage to orbit (SSTO) vehicle, able to achieve orbit without staging. The Skylon spaceplane is designed as a two-engine, "tailless" aircraft, which is fitted with a steerable canard. The design of the Skylon C2 features a large cylindrical payload bay, 13 m (42 ft. 8 in) long and 4.8 meters (15 ft. 9 in) in diameter. It is designed to be comparable with current payload dimensions, and able to support the containerization of payloads that Reaction Engines hopes for in the future. The most notable benefit of this would be a dramatic reduction in the cost of transporting items to orbit. With current launch vehicles, it costs over $23,000 per kilogram to lift cargo into orbit.

5. Project Background Skylon is based on a previous project of Alan Bond, known as HOTOL. The development of HOTOL began in 1982 However, in 1988, the government withdrew further funding, and development was terminated. The STRICT/STERN designs resulting from this programme were deemed a great success. According to Management Today, Skylon has been discussed as a possible replacement for NASA's Space Shuttle. Skylon could potentially lower satellite launch costs from the current 15,000/kg to 650/kg.

6. Fuselage and Structure The fuselage of Skylon is expected to be a carbon fiber space frame; a light and strong structure that supports the weight of the aluminum fuel tanks and to which the ceramic skin is attached. Skylon would employ a highly loaded tightly spaced wheel assembly, to save weight and also interior space when the wheels are retracted into the fuselage. It will possess a retractable undercarriage with high pressure tyres and water-cooled brakes. Skylon will use a low-density fuel, liquid hydrogen, a great volume is needed to contain enough energy to reach orbit. Because of the low ballistic coefficient, Skylon would be slowed at higher altitudes where the air is thinner. As a result, the skin of the vehicle would only reach 1,100 Kelvin (K).

7. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylon_%28spacecraft %29 http://news.discovery.com/space/private- spaceflight/the-spacecraft-of-tomorrow-130219.htm http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013- 08/runway-orbit-and-back

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Skylon spaceplane, uk the spacecraft of tomorrow

Documents

design skylon

fuselage of skylon

skylon spaceplane

skylon c2

introduction skylon

project background skylon

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