Advanced Space Plane Using Turbine Rocket Integration

Increasing pressure on fast, cheap and reusable access to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has spurred the creation of alternative launch architectures as alternatives to the conventional expendable and vertically launched rocket systems. In traditional launch vehicles, high costs of operation, long turnaround time, and infrastructure based ground support limit the frequency of flight and scalability. This paper provides a conceptual design and engineering discussion of a high tech hypersonic spaceplane with the integration of turbine based combined cycle (TBCC) and rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) propulsion. The suggested system supports horizontal takeoff runways, effective atmospheric acceleration, and switching to rocket propulsion to insert the orbit, a proposal that provides an opportunity to have a reusable and adaptable alternative to traditional launch systems. An analytical framework is created in MATLAB to compare the performance of propulsion, thermal loading, and flight characteristics of the spaceplane. The trends of thrust and specific impulse are examined in different Mach regimes, and the hypersonic heating is approximated based on simplified aerodynamic heating equations. Velocity altitude profiling is used to determine the performance of the flight in order to describe the flight ascending path. Also, a conceptual CAD model is created to depict the integrated vehicle arrangement and propulsion design. The metrics of the performance of comparisons such as the cost of launch, turnaround time, and frequency of flight are compared with those of traditional rockets to determine feasibility and benefits of operation. Findings reveal that the integration of turbine rockets makes it possible to achieve higher propulsion performance in the atmospheric regime, lower thermal stress due to controlled acceleration profiles, and much greater reusability capability. The paper presents a conceptual framework of system level analysis backed up with an analytical model showing the feasibility of the concept of combined cycle propulsion spaceplanes as a next generation approach to sustainable and responsive space access.