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SpaceLiner is an advanced concept for a suborbital, hypersonic, winged passenger transport, which is currently under investigation at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR) since 2005. It has been projected that if development is continued and adequate funding is secured, that the SpaceLiner could be an operational spaceplane in the 2040s. == Concept == The SpaceLiner concept consists of a a two-stage, vertical takeoff, horizontal landing configuration with a large unmanned booster and a manned stage designed for 50 passengers and 2 crew members. The fully reusable system is accelerated by a total of eleven liquid rocket engines (9 for the booster stage, 2 for the passenger stage), which are to be operated using cryogenic liquid oxygen (LOX) and hydrogen (LH2). After engine cut-off, the passenger stage will enter a high-speed gliding flight phase and shall be capable of traveling long intercontinental distances within a very short time. Altitudes of 80 kilometers and Mach numbers beyond 20 are projected, depending on the mission and the associated trajectory flown. SpaceLiner flight times from Australia to Europe, the chosen reference mission, should take just 90 minutes. Shorter distances, such as Europe to California for example, would then be achievable in no more than 60 minutes. Acceleration loads for the passengers, and only during the propelled section of the flight, are designed to remain below 2.5 g, and well below those experienced by the Space Shuttle astronauts. The concept design also foresees the specially designed passenger cabin to function as an autonomous rescue capsule which can be separated from the vehicle in case of an emergency, thus allowing the passengers to return safely to Earth. A key aspect of the SpaceLiner concept is its full reusability and vehicle mass-production, which will closely resemble production rates of the aviation industry. Serial production is expected to deliver a significant increase in cost effectiveness compared to conventional space transportation systems of the early 2000s. A major challenge lies in improving the safety standards and especially the robustness and reliability of space components such as rocket engines, so that they will become suitable for the daily operation of a passenger transporter like the SpaceLiner, while also meeting the required reusability criteria.〔 The development of the concept is funded by DLR's internal resources, as well as in the context of EU-FP7 funded projects such as FAST 20XX and CHATT. In addition to DLR, various partners from the European aerospace sector are involved.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SpaceLiner」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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