NOVEL HYPERSONIC LAUNCHER CONCEPT USING THIN-PLY CFRP COMPOSITES

Abstract

Thin-ply carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites may allow for significant structural mass reductions of space launch vehicles, and could even become a break-through technology for space transportation. To evaluate the potential mass savings and their implications for the feasibility of novel launcher configurations, the Aurora hypersonic launcher studies were initiated in late-2015/early-2016. The task of these studies is to define a series of spaceplane type launchers using thin-ply CFRP composites, to quantify the weight saving potential on vehicle level when using thin-ply composites as well as the latest technologies in other areas, and eventually to evaluate whether new types of launch vehicles can be realized that are infeasible with conventional technology. This paper will provide a brief overview of the thin-ply technology and will discuss a first evaluation of vehicle level mass savings for a rocket propelled Aurora configuration. The vehicle system design and structural analysis approaches are still simplified, but do nevertheless allow for a first order assessment of the relative mass saving potentials compared to conventional structures. The preliminary results presented in this paper indicate that thin-ply composites could indeed lead to large scale mass savings on vehicle level, and encourage to further advance this promising technology. Finally, the paper provides an outlook on the future development line of Aurora and associated technologies.