The document discusses boosting local enterprise in space technology. It summarizes presentations from Adam Baker on the Bloodhound SSC land speed record car project and its plans to develop small satellite launch vehicles. It also summarizes a presentation by Jeremy Nickless on the Skylon single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane and its SABRE engine, which can switch between air-breathing and rocket modes. Nickless discusses the development of Reaction Engines Ltd. and technologies like the pre-cooler that enable the SABRE engine. The document outlines the benefits of reusable launchers for commercial spaceflight and the future development plans for both projects.

1. Boosting Local Enterprise
17th October 2013

2. Day 2 – Plenary Session
Adam Baker
– Kinston University and Bloodhound SSC
Jeremy Nickless
– Skylon
Planetarium Show
– We Are Aliens

3. Beyond Bloodhound
Adam Baker

6. In particular
•
Communications
– Relay (‘bent pipe’), broadcast (Sky), Inmarsat
•
Remote sensing
– Disaster warning, weather …spying… ‘Google Earth’
•
Scientific measurements
– Ozone hole, greenhouse gas monitoring, life on Mars,
how the universe began
•
Navigation
– GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and others to come

7. The UK in space

9. ‘Upstream & downstream’

10. Infrastructure
UK Launch
Imported LV
technology, systems
Small Launcher
Infrastructure
Spaceport UK
Large Reusable
Launcher
Sub-orbital Space Access

11. 40+ years ago
Before Oct 28th, 2021

12. We have the technology...
Credit: Richard RM Brown
–
–
–
–
–
–
Structures
Avionics
Propulsion
Ground support
Project management
System engineering
Credit: NDA
Credit: SSTL
Credit: TISICS
Credit: Moog Isp
Credit: QinetiQ

13. Good business...?
Cumulative debt
150.0
100.0
50.0
$M
0.0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-50.0
-100.0
Year
9
10 11 12 13 14 15

14. Rocket cars
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

15. What is Bloodhound?
•
•
An unreasonable and
disruptive aerospace
and education
company dedicated to
innovation.
An iconic project
aiming to create the
next generation of
scientists and
engineers.
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
•
•
58 dedicated engineers
•
A £41M budget , about
¼ spent to date
•
•
50 man years of R&D
Supported by 100s of
‘ambassadors’ in >5000
schools
A ‘hard’ project!
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

16. Technical goals
•
1000mph land speed
record
– Currently ~730mph
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
•
Inspire the next
generation of scientists &
engineers
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

17. The car
•
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
Structure, Powerplant, Ancillary
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

18. ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

19. Rocket Engine
Credit: Falcon UK
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
Credit: CISAS-Uni Padua
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

20. First large hybrid test, October 2012
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

21. Hybrid heritage
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

22. Bloodhound
A record breaker...?
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

23. Bloodhound
or... horizontal ‘space shot’?

24. Beyond Bloodhound
– new business for the 21st century
•
•
•
•
100kg into polar orbit for £3M
Complete space missions for £5-10M
Development: as little as £20M (+ GSE + interest)
UK know how, supply chain, & facilities : UKLaunch

25. ROCKET Engineering Ltd.
Dr. Adam M. Baker
adam_baker@rocketmail.com
Join the Adventure
Sign up to the 1K Club:
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com
Follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/BLOODHOUND_SSC
Find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/BLOODHOUNDSSC
ENGINEERING ADVENTURE
www.BLOODHOUNDSSC.com

26. SKYLON and the SABRE Engine:
from Humble Beginnings…
Jeremy Nickless
Business Development
Reaction Engines Ltd
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013

27. A Brief History
2nd UK Space Propulsion Workshop
In the mid 1980s the UK began HOTOL – a Rolls
Royce/British Aerospace study into single stage to
orbit spaceplanes – the funding was cut in 1988
3 HOTOL Engineers founded Reaction Engines Ltd.
In 1989 to continue and progress spaceplane R&D
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
2

28. The Reaction Engines UK Space Propulsion Workshop
2nd Team - 2013
▪
Thermodynamics and heat transfer
▪
Astrodynamics
▪
Chemistry
▪
▪
Non-equilibrium chemistry
Mechanical Engineering (materials,
structures, manufacture, design)
▪
Hydrodynamics & aerodynamics
▪
Specialist Engineering (marine,
automobile, nuclear)
▪
Plasma physics and engineering
▪
Systems Engineering
▪
Electromagnetics
▪
Programme and project management
▪
Control Systems
▪
Information Technology
▪
International Air and Space Law
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
3

29. T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f nd UKu s a bPropulsion c e a c c e s s …
2 r e Space l e S p a Workshop
Launchers derived from cold war military technology have been
faithful friends enabling the birth of the Space age and returning
services and knowledge.
However they suffer significant drawbacks:
▪ Expensive & labour intensive
▪ Unreliable – 1/50 failure rate historically
▪ Now a limitation to growth
1957
Today
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
4

31. Characteristics of Commercial Operations
• Reusability:
-reduced cost per flight by amortising production cost over 200 flights.
• Single-stage:
-reduced development and operating costs relative to multi-stage vehicles.
• Un-piloted:
-reduced mission control, relaxed safety during development, increased
payload. Dedicated accessory passenger module for payload bay.
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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32. Characteristics of Commercial Operations (cont.)
• Abort capability:
- abort to launch site with up to half engines failed.
- flight critical systems redundant to single point failure.
• User friendly operations:
- simple ground handling and automatic checkout.
- low maintenance through robust TPS and long life engines.
- containerised payload system.
• Re-entry cross-range:
- high hypersonic L/D to improve return opportunities to launch site.
• Environmental impact:
- benign propellants, ‘low’ engine noise, no orbital debris.
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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33. SKYLON C1
Entry to Service Targets:
• 200 reuses
• 1% abort rate per mission
• 1:20,000 loss rate per mission
• 48 hour turnaround
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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34. SKYLON C1
• 12 Tonnes to LEO
• 10 Tonnes to ISS
• 200m3 Payload bay
• 4.6m Diameter payload
Revision in 2010 to D1 Standard
with 15 tonne payload
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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35. SABRE
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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36. The SABRE Engine
Compressor
Pre-Cooler
Turbine
Air Intake
Bypass Duct
Thrust Chambers
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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37. THE PRE-COOLER
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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38. Pre-cooler Construction
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
14

39. P r e - c o o l e r P r o d u c2nd o nSpace Propulsion Workshop
t i UK
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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40. P r e - c o o l e r Te s t F a2nd l i tSpace Propulsion Workshop
c i UK y
Silencer
Nitrogen Boiler
VIPER jet engine
Circulator
Pre-cooler
Helium Loop
Data Acquisition
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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41. P r e - c o o l e r H e a t E xnd h aSpace Propulsion Workshop
2 c UK n g e r
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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42. P r e - c o o l e r Te s t R u n UK Space Propulsion Workshop
2nd
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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43. OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
19

44. R E L a d d r e s s e d m o2nd UK Space e ke y tWorkshop l o g i e s i n P h a s e 2
s t o f t h Propulsion e c h n o
Contra-rotating
turbine
2008
Silicon carbide
high temp Hx
2002
Laboratory scale
1GW/m3 HX
1996
Air/hydrogen
cooling
2010
Advanced nozzles
laboratory tests
2006
Wind tunnel
Hx module
2002
LOX cooling
2010
STERN E/D nozzle
2008
Pre-cooler frost
control
2004
Bell nozzle
separation
2010
STRICT E/D nozzle
2010
First full scale
pre-cooler module
2005
STILETTO staged
combustion
2011
Micro-channel high
pressure Hx
2010
Pre-cooler heat
Transfer
augmentation
2009
Air intake
2012
STRIDENT nozzle
2012
Complete pre-cooler
2012
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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45. R E L a d d r e s s e d m o s t o f t h e ke y t e c h n o l o g i e s i n P h a s e 2
Ascent trajectory
modelling
Subsonic wind
tunnel
CFRP truss
structure
Avionics
Re-entry
aerodynamics
Mach 9 hypersonic
wind tunnel
Mach 12 hypersonic
shock tunnel
TiSic truss structure
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
Aeroshell
21

46. STRICT Engine
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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47. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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48. SKYL
TITLEO N S y s t e m R e q u i r e m e n t s R e v i e w
UK Space Agency independent review
Sep 2010
• ESA providing technical support
• Almost 100 invitees attended two
day workshop
• Part of wider review including on site
audit by ESA
Review Conclusions
‘no impediments or critical items have been identified for either the SKYLON
vehicle or the SABRE engine that are a block to further developments’.
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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49. P r e - c o o l e r t e s t p r 2nd UKaSpace Propulsion Workshopu g h
ogr mme breakthro
▪ Over 500 rig tests … over 300 engine pre-cooler tests
▪ -150°C cryogenic temperature


▪ Operation of pre-cooler & frost control system


▪ Steady state cryogenic cooling over a sustained period

Technical objectives of the ESA programme 
▪ Thermo-mechanical & aerodynamic integrity
▪
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
25

50. The Future
In July 2013 the UK Government awarded Reaction Engines a £60M grant
towards a £250M+ programme spanning 3 ½ years to the latter quarter of 2017
HUB:BLE 2 Boosting Local Enterprise – 17th October 2013
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51. Thank You
Any Questions?
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