German-based POLARIS Raumflugzeuge has introduced a profitable milestone within the improvement of its MIRA II spaceplane, finishing the primary aerospike roll take a look at with its custom-made AS-1F linear aerospike engine.
The take a look at, carried out on Tuesday, October 29, at Peenemünde Airport, featured a three-second burn of the 1 kN LOX/kerosene engine.
The roll take a look at adopted a sequence of profitable turbine-powered take a look at flights of the MIRA II spaceplane carried out between October 25 and October 27. Throughout these checks, MIRA II accomplished three flights, showcasing its functionality as a turbine-powered craft. Inside simply 36 hours of finishing these flights, POLARIS built-in the aerospike LOX/kerosene rocket propulsion system, culminating within the October 29 roll take a look at.
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“This absolutely profitable roll take a look at is the final step earlier than in-flight ignition,” said the POLARIS group, signaling this system’s readiness to proceed to extra superior flight trials. The mixing and testing of the aerospike engine exhibit POLARIS Spaceplanes’ dedication to advancing next-generation propulsion expertise for spaceplane functions.
The MIRA II spaceplane, outfitted with this progressive propulsion system, displays a give attention to effectivity and adaptableness in spaceflight operations. Aerospike engines are recognized for his or her potential to take care of excessive effectivity throughout a spread of altitudes, providing important benefits over standard rocket engines.
Because the MIRA II undertaking progresses, POLARIS Raumflugzeuge goals to additional validate the operational capabilities of the aerospike engine in flight, a transfer that would place the corporate as a key participant within the improvement of versatile, high-performance spaceplanes.
