The Space Shuttle will soon reduce the cost of transportation to orbit. The resulting traffic growth will lead to economic pressure for a new vehicle. Several vehicles have been studied. A supersonically staged system with twin turbojet boosters may be attractive but the development of a large supersonic turbojet engine would be required. Subsonic staging with a reasonable number of turbojet engines does not provide the desired payload capability with existing engines. The addition of a duct burner to an existing large turbofan engine provides sufficient thrust to allow the design of an attractive system with twin boosters staged subsonically.
Use of a duct-burning turbofan for an earth-to-orbit vehicle booster
Princeton University and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Conference on Space Manufacturing Facilities, 4th, Princeton University ; 1979 ; Princeton, NJ
1979-05-01
Conference paper
No indication
English