Space aircraft is about to become a reality

The development of a giant space airplane twice the size of a supersonic plane is becoming more and more realistic with humans.

Panorama of space aircraft development

Skylon spacecraft is designed with the ability to take off and land as generations of traditional aircraft thanks to the runways. However, Skylon has the ability to transport up to 15,000 kg of cargo to orbit.

The father of the Skylon modern generation is the Abingdon Company - part of the UK's Reaction Engines Company.

The development of Skylon space aircraft is receiving special attention and investment support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and a small company in the UK.

Technological improvements in thermal shields, superstructures, aviation electronics and both Skylon space rocket engines are expected to help ESA compare the economic returns derived from use. Use this unmanned spacecraft with vehicles about to be launched into orbit next year.

Next step

Skylon is a model of space aircraft with a rather slender body fitted with triangular wings. SABRE engine wing head part.

Mark Hempsell, director of the Abingdon company, said the next step in the Skylon space improvement journey is to build Skylon's SABRE engine and activity test in a realistic environment.

The key technology in the SABRE engine is the heat sink, which cools the inlet air flow to the engine area, then burns this amount of air with hydrogen inside.

In the lower and thicker atmosphere, the air entering the engine will reach temperatures higher than 1,000 degrees Celsius. In order to prevent the engine from overheating, incoming air will have to be cooled quickly. Specifically, the air flow is cooled to -150 degrees Celsius within a time of 1/100 second.

ESA and the British government invested 1 million Euro (1.2 million USD) in 2009 to Abingdon to develop advanced heat dissipation system. Besides, the company also focused on changing the Skylon aircraft shape.

In order to increase the speed of the space plane operating 5 times faster than the speed of sound, the aircraft needs a perfect aerodynamic structure. And to control all the activities of supersonic aerospace, the process of avionics development by Reaction Engine has synchronized the entire hardware standard.

High heat resistance

Like the spacecraft, when it starts to take off, Skylon will also face high heat. Therefore, engineers who used heat-resistant materials in fiber-reinforced ceramic (FRC) shields can withstand temperatures up to 1,127 degrees C. This heat shield has been tested in the company's plasma compartment. Reaction Engines.

The big challenge for the company is that they are no longer in business, so they are likely to re-design the material or even buy it from a French company.

Under the heat shield is the superstructure of the aerospace made from a silicon-titanium strut.

Business model

Skylon space planes are expected to become a means of transportation such as railways, sea transports and civil aviation. With a large investment worth millions to billions of dollars, Skylon profits bring investment companies to take place for years.