Tim Furniss/LONDON
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to start development of a new reusable or partly reusable launcher in 2007, with service entry planned for 2015. The vehicle will replace the Ariane 5, which is to make its first commercial launch this summer.
The development work will follow a detailed technical study, with the first phase study to be complete by 2001, in time to be cleared by the next ESA council of ministers meeting, where approval of the next phase will be sought.
"'Reusable' is the key word," says Marco Caporicci, head of the future programmes and technology office in ESA's directorate of launchers. "The whole vehicle will not necessarily be reusable," he adds. The new launcher "could be an Ariane 5 with fly-back strap on boosters", he says.
Other options are a reusable spaceplane, launched on an expendable booster, or a traditional reusable concept, such as the Kistler. Technologies such as air-breathing engines and scramjets have been eliminated.
ESA ministers will be presented with a proposal for an experiment test vehicle - the EXTV - which will be used to investigate new technologies in heat shields, control systems, health monitoring systems, aerodynamics, structures and propulsion. The EXTV could be designed, developed and flown for re-use experience and technology evaluation.
Source: Flight International