The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is to fire a subscale hypersonic pre-cooled turbojet engine called S-Engine by August in preparation for a 2009 flight test.
After its firing at Taiki airfield on Hokkaido island, the 2009 test flight will see the S-Engine being integrated with a balloon-launched missile-like vehicle and air dropped from an altitude of 131,100ft (40,000m).
The S-Engine has a variable rectangular intake and nozzle, is 2.7m long and has a mass of 140kg (308lb). It uses liquid hydrogen fuel, its turbine rotation speed is 80,000rpm and its compressor pressure ratio is six.
Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' space planes, hypersonic systems and technologies conference in Dayton, Ohio, JAXA S-Engine researcher Takayuki Kojima said that a metal version of the engine would have a mach range of up to M2, while an all-composite engine could reach M6.
The S-Engine's first test firing was completed last year. In March 2007 tests for the performance of the compressor, turbine and pre-cooler were carried out and the start sequences and engine control laws were tested in November at the Noshiro test centre.
JAXA's roadmap for hypersonic transport is for further turbojet development work until 2015, after which a small prototype engine would be flight tested up to M5. It would power a vehicle with no payload first, and after 2020 one with a small payload. If successful a large hypersonic turbojet would power a manned transport vehicle after 2025.
Source: Flight International
