CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE SPACELINER THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM

Abstract

With the SpaceLiner the DLR has proposed a visionary concept for hypersonic suborbital passenger transport over extremely long distances [1]. Depending on the configuration or mission type, the maximum flight Mach numbers of the vehicle can exceed Mach 20, hence the consideration of aerodynamic heating be-comes mandatory during the design process. The paper addresses the aerothermal challenges of the SpaceLiner flight and the latest updates in the conceptu-al design of the thermal protection system (TPS). Due to the very high heat loads, an active TPS is required for the nose and the leading edge whereas a passive, radia-tively cooled TPS is sufficient for the downstream sur-face regions. Potential solutions for both, active and passive thermal protection are developed and presented. Mass and systems requirements as well as an economi-cally justifiable effort for manufacturing and mainte-nance are constraints which are also taken into account during the whole design process.