ESA Prepares Revolutionary Air Breathing Rocket Engine

If new rocket engines being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) are successful, they could revolutionize rocket technology and change the way we get to space. The engine, called the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), is designed to use atmospheric air in the early flight stages, before switching to conventional rocket mode for the final ascent to space. If all goes well, this new air-breathing rocket could be ready for test firings in about four years.

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CrazyNeutrino said:

ESA Prepares Revolutionary Air Breathing Rocket Engine

If new rocket engines being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) are successful, they could revolutionize rocket technology and change the way we get to space. The engine, called the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), is designed to use atmospheric air in the early flight stages, before switching to conventional rocket mode for the final ascent to space. If all goes well, this new air-breathing rocket could be ready for test firings in about four years.

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That makes more sense than scramjet. Jet power works best at relatively low rocket velocities and rocket power at high Mach numbers. Perhaps three stage, rocket to ramjet to rocket.

CrazyNeutrino said:

ESA Prepares Revolutionary Air Breathing Rocket Engine

If new rocket engines being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) are successful, they could revolutionize rocket technology and change the way we get to space. The engine, called the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), is designed to use atmospheric air in the early flight stages, before switching to conventional rocket mode for the final ascent to space. If all goes well, this new air-breathing rocket could be ready for test firings in about four years.

more…

That makes more sense than scramjet. Jet power works best at relatively low rocket velocities and rocket power at high Mach numbers. Perhaps three stage, rocket to ramjet to rocket.

mollwollfumble said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

ESA Prepares Revolutionary Air Breathing Rocket Engine

If new rocket engines being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) are successful, they could revolutionize rocket technology and change the way we get to space. The engine, called the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), is designed to use atmospheric air in the early flight stages, before switching to conventional rocket mode for the final ascent to space. If all goes well, this new air-breathing rocket could be ready for test firings in about four years.

more…

That makes more sense than scramjet. Jet power works best at relatively low rocket velocities and rocket power at high Mach numbers. Perhaps three stage, rocket to ramjet to rocket.

Qld Uni was doing a lot of work on the scram jet a few years ago, they proved the concept but I don’t think it’s gone anywhere since, probably not commercially viable.

Qld Uni was doing a lot of work on the scram jet a few years ago, they proved the concept but I don’t think it’s gone anywhere since, probably not commercially viable.

A more highly funded overseas team was working in parallel with Uni Qld
They would have had sufficient funds to carry the idea through.

I’ve been a fan of the Sabre engine for years, and have posted a few links to it here and on the old SSSF forum.
All the individual bits seem to work as advertised, I hope they fund the funding to build a complete engine.

Spiny Norman said:

I’ve been a fan of the Sabre engine for years, and have posted a few links to it here and on the old SSSF forum.
All the individual bits seem to work as advertised, I hope they fund the funding to build a complete engine.

I remember the controversy surrounding our purchase of the Sabre.

Spiny Norman said:

I’ve been a fan of the Sabre engine for years, and have posted a few links to it here and on the old SSSF forum.
All the individual bits seem to work as advertised, I hope they fund the funding to build a complete engine.

You’re way ahead of me then. I didn’t even know it existed.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SABRE_(rocket_engine)
(PS I hate single stage to orbit).
It could get away without either precooler or turbo compressor if it just used a ramjet. Oh wait…. it uses both turbo compressor and ramjet. That makes it a 3 engine design rather than 2 engine.

“Previous versions of precoolers such as HOTOL put the hydrogen fuel directly through the precooler. SABRE inserts a helium cooling loop between the air and the cold fuel to avoid problems with hydrogen embrittlement in the precooler.”

That’s a bit of overkill isn’t it? Hydrogen embrittlement is a slow process. It wouldn’t act fast enough to endanger a flight into space a few minutes long.

“ice prevention system”

Yes, that’s a big problem with the precooler. Better to avoid precooling, or if it’s really needed use a nanotech low drag cooler that I designed, after the air has started to heat up.

“cooling the air needs more liquid hydrogen than can be burnt in the engine core. The excess is expelled through a series of burners called spill duct ramjet burners, that are arranged in a ring around the central core. These are fed air that bypasses the precooler.”

Now THAT I like.