Aircosmic giant Airbus unveiled a plan for the development of a reusable launch vehicle, which it intends to implement over the next 10 years. The proposed concept will be very different from the one that the main competitors from the American company Space X proposed.
As it turned out, a team of engineers secretly works on the project in the Airbus storage near Paris for 5 years. They are faced with a very difficult task to ensure the re-use of a launch vehicle, which will be cheaper than the currently existing disposable models.
The concept is called Adeline, which combines space and aviation technologies. Her essence was described by Airbus Technical Director for Defense and Cosmos Erve Zhiliber:
“In order to repeatedly use the launch vehicle, we plan to install very strong and expensive details on it with such a calculation that it is more profitable than to do new each time”.
The main idea is that 80 % of the cost of the rocket falls on the engine and combustion chamber, so a special heat shield will be made to preserve them, which will ensure their return to the ground after the start.
ADELINE is a stabilizer with wings and a turboprop engine at the base of the starting installation. The fuel is in the wings, like a conventional aircraft. After entering the orbit, they will “steam” in space at an altitude of about 1000 km, performing various tasks. Thus, it is supposed to create a kind of space “parking”.
Having completed their functions, reusable missiles will be landed in a “airplane” mode, giving the opportunity to use them from 10 to 20 times.Related articles:
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