17th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference · 2011 · 30 citations · 9 references
Space VehicleEngineeringSpace PolicyGlobal Transportation SystemHypersonic PropulsionSpace SystemSpace TransportationSpace VehiclesSystems EngineeringHypersonic FlowTransportation EngineeringSpace MissionsLaunch CostHypersonic VehiclesHsgts Design FeaturesRocket EngineAerospace Propulsion SystemsPropulsionAffordable AccessAerospace EngineeringHypersonic SystemsSpace ArchitectureAerospace PropulsionPayload DesignHypersonic Space
These studies have produced launch concepts that use one or more air‑breathing propulsion systems to reduce launch costs. The authors have studied launch vehicle concepts for over a decade to define an architecture that makes traditional payload launches routine and affordable, enables private orbital spaceflight, and opens new space markets, and they present the recent Hypersonic Space and Global Transportation System (HSGTS) concept and its performance. The HSGTS is a fully reusable two‑stage‑to‑orbit launch system with a horizontal‑takeoff air‑breathing first stage and an integrated air‑breathing‑rocket second stage. The HSGTS design achieves aircraft‑like operational attributes, high utilization, operational flexibility, and launch costs at least an order of magnitude lower than current expendable systems.
For more than a decade the authors have studied launch vehicle concepts and technologies with the goal of defining an architecture that can make launching traditional payloads much more routine and affordable, private orbital spaceflight practical, and new space markets possible. These studies have generated both vertically and horizontally launched concepts that have the common characteristic of employing one or more airbreathing propulsion systems to help achieve launch cost goals. A recent concept, named the Hypersonic Space and Global Transportation System (HSGTS), is described and its performance is presented. The HSGTS is a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch system with a horizontal-takeoff airbreathing first stage and an integrated airbreathing-rocket second stage. HSGTS design features and technologies were selected to achieve aircraft-like operational attributes that can yield high utilization rates, operational flexibility, and launch cost at least an order of magnitude lower than current expendable systems.
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Performance, Economic, and Operational Drivers of Reusable Launch Vehicles
Kevin Bowcutt, Mark Gonda, Ted Ralston et al. · 2002 · 31 citations