Boeing Unveils Air-Launched Space-Access Concept

[Aeroman]

Article in Aviation weekly online today (I think).  I could not find it anywhere on this site so Mods if I have it in the wrong place please let me know.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_05_21_2012_p25-458597.xml&p=1


Aeroman

[Wyvern]

It's good to see one of the big aerospace companies innovating and look at new ways for cheap space access.

I hope this business succeeds.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

Even though the quoted price would be cheaper price/kg than secondary payload pricing on EELVs it would be equal or more than secondary pricing on F9. So from a business standpoint it is only marginal. Now if the price was $150,000 per flight you would have something that could take over the small sat secondaries market.

[Danderman]

"Piece by piece, parts of the puzzle that may conceivably drive down costs to as low as $300,000 per launch, are falling into place, according to hypersonic researchers at Boeing. Building on these pieces, the company has unveiled a small launch vehicle (SLV) concept aimed at the smallsat market, and it could be in service as early as 2020. "

"Unlike many previous ideas for air-breathing, multi-stage small launch systems, the SLV comprises elements that, in some cases, are already flying. Including the Scaled Composites-designed WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that would air-launch the three-stage vehicle, virtually every technology required for the SLV is therefore either developed or at a high-technology readiness level, says Kevin Bowcutt, Boeing's chief hypersonics scientist. Sized initially to carry payloads up to 100 lb., the SLV would employ two reusable air-breathing stages and a third stage made up of an expendable or reusable rocket. "

"The delta-winged first stage borrows several design features of the XB-70 supersonic bomber, including a raised forward fuselage, two-dimensional mixed-compression wedge inlets and compression lift. Boeing's study evaluated several propulsion options for the first stage, which is designed to reach a staging Mach number of 4.5 before releasing the second stage. Options include the Atrex air-turbo ramjet with expander cycle, an experimental precooled engine under development by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that works as both a turbojet and ramjet. "

"The second stage is a 37-ft.-long, hypersonic waverider design with “an inward-turning inlet that feeds a circular combustor scramjet,” says Bowcutt."

 

This sounds like either a general FUD attempt, although I don't know who the target is, or else Boeing is scrambling for more study money. Boeing has the $$ to pull this off, but if they don't get the study money, or if the FUD is no longer necessary, this concept will disappear, like Boeing's Commercial Space Module of 10 years ago that was aimed at killing the SpaceHAB Enterprise module.

Boeing just doesn't get it when it comes to commercial space.  If there is a commercial competitor that Boeing is trying to kill, this won't do it. And if Boeing wants study money, coming out in public like this won't help them get a government contract for it.

[Lurker Steve]

How much does the typical Pegasus launch cost ?

They really aren't describing anything much different, other than a semi-reusable vehicle. The third stage is still expendable.

[jongoff]

Article in Aviation weekly online today (I think).  I could not find it anywhere on this site so Mods if I have it in the wrong place please let me know.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_05_21_2012_p25-458597.xml&p=1

Is this what they proposed for the DARPA ALASA program, or is this a separate concept?

~Jon

[simonbp]

Mmm, Mini-Valkyrie... Been a long time since anyone built a real waverider...

Jon, I wonder if this is actually a descendant of what they were planning for the DARPA FALCON program, as it seems to fit better into that than something you'd design from scratch for a space-launch system.

Also IIRC, that puts us up to three space vehicles carried by WK2: SS2, Dreamchaser (drop tests), and Boeing SLV.

[Robotbeat]

Dedicated launch is very important

[Danderman]

It used to be that when programs needed to invoke magic to make them work, slush hydrogen or aerospike engines were invoked.  Now, its a "waverider".

[simonbp]

Waveriding ain't magic, but it sure is pretty:

[Lee Jay]

Quote from memory (essence is correct):

"Some completely insane people think it's a good idea to hang a rocket under a wing."  -- Dr. Antonio Elias

When he said it, I thought he was dissing Stratolaunch.  Then it hit me...

[jongoff]

So let me get this straight...you have a subsonic jet launch a supersonic jet, which launches a hypersonic waverider, which launches an expendable rocket stage...At least the subsonic jet exists, but I'm scratching my head at how they can possibly develop this within the $80-150M budget ALASA had.

Interestingly enough I had heard that Boeing was one of the ALASA winners. I'm just surprised if this was their winning bid. If so, I definitely underestimated their creativity. I was expecting something boring.

~Jon

[edkyle99]

Why don't they just put Blackstar back into service? 



 - Ed Kyle

[simonbp]

So let me get this straight...you have a subsonic jet launch a supersonic jet, which launches a hypersonic waverider, which launches an expendable rocket stage...

I think it's just 3-stage, so WK2 drops the hypersonic vehicle, which then launches the rocket upper stage. It would see easier to have a hypersonic vehicle that can take off from the ground...

[MikeAtkinson]

No, it is 4 stages including WK2

WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that would air-launch the three-stage vehicle

[XP67_Moonbat]

Seeing as we haven't seen any pictures of this beast yet, might I offer this as a possible place to start guessing on Boeing's concept? (Yes, I know they're ASTROX concepts)

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22610.0

[mrmandias]

Even though the quoted price would be cheaper price/kg than secondary payload pricing on EELVs it would be equal or more than secondary pricing on F9. So from a business standpoint it is only marginal. Now if the price was $150,000 per flight you would have something that could take over the small sat secondaries market.

The ability to pick an inclination and a time precisely would make airlaunch very attractive, plus not having to wait on integration and primary f9 customers.

This is all extremely theoretical, of course, but if you take what they're saying seriously, it would be competitive.

[kkattula]

No, it is 4 stages including WK2

WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that would air-launch the three-stage vehicle

4 stages to launch 4 x P-POD?  Total mass 26kg. (12 x 1.33kg CU + 4 x 2.5kg P-POD)

Including a Mach 4.5 turbo-ramjet and a Mach 10 scramjet?

How much is a Lynx Mk3 with a 300kg expendable rocket on top expected to put in orbit? 10 or 20 kg? Enough for 2 or 3 P-PODs, yet only 2 stages and probably less than half the $300K price.


This story reads like a scramjet designer scrambling to find a use for one.

[jongoff]

No, it is 4 stages including WK2

WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that would air-launch the three-stage vehicle

4 stages to launch 4 x P-POD?  Total mass 26kg. (12 x 1.33kg CU + 4 x 2.5kg P-POD)

Including a Mach 4.5 turbo-ramjet and a Mach 10 scramjet?

How much is a Lynx Mk3 with a 300kg expendable rocket on top expected to put in orbit? 10 or 20 kg? Enough for 2 or 3 P-PODs, yet only 2 stages and probably less than half the $300K price.


This story reads like a scramjet designer scrambling to find a use for one.

XCOR was looking at putting ~15kg into LEO (which might be enough for 1 or maybe 2 PPODs) into orbit for ~$500k. However, that was the full-wrap commercial price, not the marginal cost.

~Jon

[kkattula]

XCOR was looking at putting ~15kg into LEO (which might be enough for 1 or maybe 2 PPODs) into orbit for ~$500k. However, that was the full-wrap commercial price, not the marginal cost.

~Jon

That much?  I suppose it makes sense to offer a dedicated launch for only a little less than a secondary ride. They want to make a healthy profit.

IIRC, there are also 5 CU inline P-PODs which might be a good fit.