Reaction Engines gets DARPA money, building test facility in Colorado

Sometimes it feels like 'if you mention the devil, he will appear.'. In this case, Reaction Engines, one of the mentions in the post challenger thread, just let the world know they got money from DARPA to test their precooler tech. Which raises a bit of an eyebrow, to be sure. RE is a British company. What's even more interesting, or at least as much so, is they are now building a test facility stateside in Colorado.

This followed USAF interest in the SABRE tech, BTW.

www.parabolicarc.com...

lightweight heat exchangers capable of cooling airstreams from over 1800°F to -240°F

this is amazing! so now we can build aircraft that can fly farther and faster due to the new cooling systems?

amazing times we live in!

This engine is a true potential game changer as far as known propulsion is concerned. It could become the engine that powers the first jet/shuttle hybrid aircraft.
It will dramatically decrease the cost of putting payloads in orbit, and decrease flight times between different parts of the world.
Im just hoping it stays uk based and we develop the infrastructure to support it here. It would provide a massive economic boost to remote areas of the UK. We are already one of the world's top manufacturers of satellites for commercial use, so offering both the tech to both launch and produce satellites cheaply would be a major coup.

originally posted by: Funem
This engine is a true potential game changer as far as known propulsion is concerned. It could become the engine that powers the first jet/shuttle hybrid aircraft.
It will dramatically decrease the cost of putting payloads in orbit, and decrease flight times between different parts of the world.
Im just hoping it stays uk based and we develop the infrastructure to support it here. It would provide a massive economic boost to remote areas of the UK. We are already one of the world's top manufacturers of satellites for commercial use, so offering both the tech to both launch and produce satellites cheaply would be a major coup.

Imagine the day when a commercial space launch could simply use a regular runway for landing and taking off.

Off-topic, but have people seen this space simulator? The craft and missions get really interesting, all "real" physics....

Thought they were building a new factory in the Uk as well for SABRE?

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Off-topic, but have people seen this space simulator? The craft and missions get really interesting, all "real" physics....

Yes it's excellent although last time I was on it my Kerbal got stuck in orbit on another planet he's still there to this day.

Just seen this linked on Twitter

Oxfordshire-based Reaction Engines has successfully tested its innovative precooler at airflow temperature conditions representing Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, marking a significant milestone in the development of its SABRE™ engine and paving the way for a revolution in hypersonic flight and space access. The precooler heat exchanger is a vital component of Reaction Engines’ revolutionary SABRE air-breathing rocket engine and is an enabling technology for other precooled propulsion systems and a range of commercial applications. This ground-based test achieved the highest temperature objective of the Company’s HTX testing programme and took place at its specially constructed unique facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port, United States. During the latest series of tests, Reaction Engines’ unique precooler successfully quenched airflow temperatures in excess of 1,000°C (~1,800°F) in less than 1/20th of a second. The tests demonstrated the precooler’s ability to successfully cool airflow at speeds significantly in excess of the operational limit of any jet-engine powered aircraft in history. Mach 5 is more than twice as fast as the cruising speed of Concorde and over 50% faster than the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft – the world’s fastest jet-engine powered aircraft. This most recent test builds upon the success of previous HTX hot tests undertaken in April which saw the precooler successfully operate at temperatures of 420ᵒC (~788ᵒF) – matching the thermal conditions corresponding to Mach 3.3 flight.

mtdmfg.com...

sry anzha

originally posted by: Woody510
Yes it's excellent although last time I was on it my Kerbal got stuck in orbit on another planet he's still there to this day.

It's ok as long as they have cars!


files.abovetopsecret.com...
fully ascent capable Duna Mobile Base

@FlyingFox
It's a great game but it can be difficult to get into and performance is horrid. I suggest waiting til spring 2020 when KSP 2 will come out

a reply to: FlyingFox

I had the first version, but I've only seen the trailer for the second version which looks like it has saber type craft to build and test.
I let my Bro play the first version and he launched a craft, made moon orbit and decided to walk around his ship design, he walked off the ladder by mistake and left a kerbal floating in orbit of the moon!!!

a reply to: solidshot
That was an interesting read, thanks.

Many Kerbals have been sacrificed in their quest for space.

I just want to be able to land the Space Shuttle, or LEM, if called upon.

Reaction Engines is not expecting a orbital launch until after 2030. They are going to demo the air-breathing portion of their engine next year (2021).

www.parabolicarc.com...

a reply to: anzha

2030?

What's even the flipping point, then? By then we'll be on the 5th iterative update to Starship and SpaceX will be sending 100 ton payloads into orbit for 1/10th their current, already rock bottom prices.

Reaction Engines is a testament to the ongoing tragedy of post-WWII British aviation. They've got a pretty cool design that seems to work well enough that would have been absolutely disruptive 15-25 years ago, only lack of state investment or the desire to push themselves the way they used to has meant that their ideas languished away in development hell and now seem to have all but rotted away on the proverbial vine while newer, better designs continue to come along. Now, they make even Stratolaunch look promising by comparison...