In 1967, NASA entered into operation Hypersonic plane of the North American X-15It was a field of an experimental prototype, with which it was shown that flights with speeds are at least 5 times higher than the sound were viable. The initial goal was to develop this type of aircraft with The military ends, Although over time it was believed that they could also be applied to Commercial flights. Since then, Both the United States, and China and Russia They developed several of these prototypes. Until now, these were the only abilities that have dared to experiment with these technologies, it is very difficult to put into practice. However, Europe conducted a study in the same line for many years. So much finally European Space Agency (ESA) He set the approximate date that it would be the first European hypersonic plan: Invictus.
It would be Hypersonic horizontal and reusable flight aircraftTherefore, it will not be launched, like a rocket, and will not be thrown back after its launch. If everything goes well, ESA and its Frazer-Nash members expect it to be launched in 2031.
Their statements will be both civil and military, so it would be very useful. But for this, you must first carry out a lot of tests. ESE engineers are faced with many problems to turn Invictus into reality. We will see that they were and how they decided them, but first we must clarify some concepts.
What is a hypersonic plane?
We should not confuse the hypersonic plane with supersonic. Super -sound aircraft are those whose speed slightly exceeds the sound. As a rule, by the aircraft it is known at the speed of sound as Mach 1. Taking this into account, the supersonic plane can achieve The speed between Mach is 1.2 and Mach 5.
On the other hand, if they exceed Mach 5, we would already talk about the hypersonic plane. Therefore, Invictus will be able to fly in The speed is 5 times higher than the speed of sound. Or even more.
Super -sound aircraft is relatively easy to get using current technologies. There were even passenger aircraft that could overcome the sound barrier. There was, for example, a caseL Concorde. However, they have ceased to be used for these purposes for their high cost and environmental problems.
On the other hand, what happens to hypersonic aircraft is that They are technically very complicatedThey reach the speed so high that friction between air and an airplane This can cause extreme warming. The surrounding air is ionized, the surface of the plane overheats and even the air that enters the engines has very high temperatures. This prevents gas compression so that the engine works properly.
How did these problems solve this using Invictus?
As explained in the statement David PerigoESA engineer and project manager, faced this problem of hypersonic flights through The hydrogen system of the preliminary system. Thanks to this, you can cool the gases that go to the engine In the second faction, Thus, oxygen reaches the temperature that allow its compression and use for movement.
This is a system that was tested with very good results in Conventional reaction enginesA field with Invictus is a more difficult task, but the first laboratory tests show that it can be performed. In fact, these first tests were so positive that both ESA and Frazer-Nash expect that this hypersonic plane will become a reality in 2031.
With him, he Total access to space With European technologies, this would be much closer. And, as they explain from the European Space Agency, Invictus will be an airplane capable of Remove as a plane and get to orbit like a rocketThe ability to process later for new use. Of course, this collects the best of every house, as they say.
Source: Hiper Textual
