Advanced Hypersonic Transportation Perspectives

Abstract

High-speed transportation design concepts are examined for advanced civil aviation and space transportation applications. The design concept of transatmospheric vehicles, flying directly from earth to orbit, will enable launching and recovery of small telecommunication and remote sensing satellites, harvesting solar energy from space, and space tourism.Commonality of flight regimes in atmospheric flight, the similarity of fuels, propulsion technology, aerodynamic configuration design, and airframe structure materials used in these high-speed flight regimes for air and space transportation are discussed in detail.A single, Integrated Hypersonic Transport Programme, is recommended, based on small size, low risk, and low cost vehicles. A dual fuel, kerosene-hydrogen system meets the needs of such an Integrated Hypersonic Transportation Programme, with kerosene for take-off, powered landing and low speed ascent/descent flight. Hydrogen is used for high-speed cruise flight. India would greatly benefit by an Integrated Hypersonics Transportation Programme, with leading institutions like ISRO, NAL and ADA working together to jointly study, design and build a strong technology base for small, unmanned hypersonic flight demonstrators. This project could then lead on, safely and economically, to hypersonic Executive Jet aircraft, and small fully Reusable Trans-Atmospheric Vehicles for direct ascent of the hypersonic aerospacecraft to earth orbit.