SpaceLiner 8 definition: relevant aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic issues

Kurzfassung

The SpaceLiner fully reusable launcher and ultra-high-speed rocket-propelled passenger transport is in conceptual design phase. The ongoing concept evolution is addressing system aspects of the next configuration release 8. The challenge of the passenger stage SLP8 design is to find an aerodynamic shape that allows both long-range glide missions with good hypersonic L/D, as in the case of current SpaceLiner 7, and ballistic jumps outside the atmosphere over populated landmasses. The paper describes the latest architecture variation of the SpaceLiner 8 configuration still under definition. The focus is on the aerodynamic shape evaluation with search for trimmable designs in a very broad range of flight Mach-number and AoA. Some of the trajectories reach up to 120 km altitude and are in the transition regime from continuum to rarefied flow. Hence, dedicated DSMC-calculations are performed for selected high altitude points of the trajectory and obtained coefficients are to be included into a refined AEDB and will subsequently be checked on system impacts. The aerothermal issues are investigated along different full mission profiles and suitable thermal protection concepts are preliminarily sized and evaluated.