 Artist's impression of the SpaceLiner 7 during ascent | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Status | under study |
| Crew members | 2 crew 50 passengers |
SpaceLiner is a concept for a suborbital, hypersonic, winged passenger supersonic transport, conceived at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR) in 2005.[1] In its second role the SpaceLiner is intended as a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) capable of delivering heavy payloads into orbit.[2]
The SpaceLiner is a very long-term project, and does not currently have funding lined up to initiate system development as of 2017. Projections in 2015 were that if adequate funding was eventually secured, the SpaceLiner concept might become an operational spaceplane in the 2040s.[3][2]
- ^ Sippel, M; Klevanski, J; Steelant, J (October 2005), "Comparative study on options for high-speed intercontinental passenger transports: air-breathing- vs. rocket-propelled" (PDF), Iac-05-D2.4.09
- ^ a b Sippel, M; Trivailo, O; Bussler, L; Lipp, S; Valluchi, C; Kaltenhäuser, S; Molina, R (September 2016), "Evolution of the SpaceLiner towards a Reusable TSTO-Launcher" (PDF), IAC-16-D2.4.03, 67th International Astronautical Congress, Guadalajara, Mexico
- ^ Sippel, M; Schwanekamp, T; Trivailo, O; Kopp, A; Bauer, C; Garbers, N (July 2015). SpaceLiner Technical Progress and Mission Definition (PDF). AIAA 2015-3582, 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. Glasgow. doi:10.2514/6.2015-3582. ISBN 978-1-62410-320-9.