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Skylon / SABRE An Update on SKYLON Alan Bond Managing Director & Chief Engineer Reaction Engines Ltd. REACTION ENGINES LTD SKYLON Operations REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 2 SKYLON 1990 The SKYLON spaceplane… the phoenix of HOTOL 1951 Skylon Sculpture Festival of Britain REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 3 SKYLON D1 Length = 83m Take-off Mass = 325 t Payload to LEO = 15 t Payload to GTO = 6.4 – 8t REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 4 Thales Alenia Space SUS Concept Design Length = 83m Take-off Mass = 325 t Payload to LEO = 15 t Payload to GTO = 6.4 – 8t REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 5 SKYLON & SUS Maximum Geostationary Performance Length = 83m Maximum Mass TakeMaximum-off Mass Mass = 325of Satellite t of Satellite into into GEO SKYLON / SUS Mission Payload to LEO = 15 t GTO Payload(With 320s to SIGTO apogee = 6.4 engine – 8t ) (Tonnes) (Tonnes) 300 km LEO deployment Reusable SUS, 5.58 (3.50) 7:1 resonance return transfer orbit (GTO) 185 km LEO deployment Reusable SUS, 6.39 (4.0) 9:1 resonance return transfer orbit 185 km deployment Expendable SUS, 8.08 (5.07) destructive re-entry 300 km LEO deployment Reusable SUS N/A 5,900 km circular MEO (8.96 GTO EP satellite, 5.61 equivalent) 20 kW HE thruster, 157 day transit to GEO REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 6 Preferred SKYLON and Civil Runway Position & Orientation Length = 83m Take-off Mass = 325 t Payload to LEO = 15 t Payload to GTO = 6.4 – 8t REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 7 Standard GTO Mission (7:1 resonance) Length = 83m Take-off Mass = 325 t Payload to LEO = 15 t Payload to GTO = 6.4 – 8t 5 2 N 1 4 3 1 Skylon in 300km LEO, payload deployed 2 Perigee burn into GTO 3 Satellite serparates in GTO 4 Satellite apogee burn into GEO 5 Upper-stage LEO insertion and recovery REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 8 SKYLON/SUS Performance into Planetary Trajectories Length = 83m Take-off Mass = 325 t Payload to LEO = 15 t Payload to GTO = 6.4 – 8t REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 9 SABRE Engine REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 10 The SABRE Engine Compressor Pre-Cooler Turbine Air Intake Bypass Duct Thrust Chambers REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 11 SABRE/SKYLON Development Programme REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 12 Pre-cooler Production REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 13 Pre-cooler Testing, B9 Culham Science Centre ▪ Over 700 rig tests … over 300 engine pre-cooler tests ▪ -150°C cryogenic temperature ▪ Operation of pre-cooler & frost control system ▪ Steady state cryogenic cooling over a sustained period ▪ Thermo-mechanical & aerodynamic integrity ▪ Technical objectives of the ESA programme REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 14 REL Engine Technologies Contra-rotating Silicon carbide Laboratory scale turbine high temperature Hx 1GW/m3 HX 2008 2002 1996 Air/hydrogen Advanced nozzles Wind tunnel Hx module cooling laboratory tests 2002 2010 2006 LOX cooling STERN E/D nozzle Pre-cooler frost control 2010 2008 2004 Bell nozzle STRICT E/D nozzle First full scale separation 2010 pre-cooler module 2010 2005 STILETTO staged Micro-channel high Pre-cooler heat combustion pressure Hx transfer augmentation 2011 2010 2009 Air intake STRIDENT nozzle Complete pre-cooler 2012 2012 2012 REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 15 REL Vehicle Technologies Ascent trajectory Re-entry Avionics modelling aerodynamics Subsonic wind Mach 9 hypersonic Mach 12 hypersonic tunnel wind tunnel shock tunnel CFRP truss TiSic truss structure Aeroshell structure REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 16 SKYLON/SABRE Programme REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 17 SKYLON System Review UK Space Agency independent review Sep 2010 • ESA providing technical support • Almost 100 invitees attended two day workshop • Part of wider review including on site audit by ESA Review Conclusions ‘no impediments or critical items have been identified for either the SKYLON vehicle or the SABRE engine that are a block to further developments’. REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 18 Phase 3 SABRE Development £10bn Programme SABRE £3.64bn £6bn SKYLON Phase 3 £0.36bn 9 ½ Years 3 ½ Years • Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 January April October October 2014 2014 2017 2023 REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 19 UK Government Grant In July 2013 the UK government awarded REL £60M to develop the SABRE Engine REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 20 Thank you REACTION ENGINES LTD 10th Appleton Space Conference 21 .
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