Fabrizio BORGNA, Valeria BORIO, Roberta FUSARO, Nicole VIOLA, Guido SACCONE
DOI Number: 10.60853/mx6c-ek70
Conference number: HiSST-2024-00344
With an expected global revenue exceeding 1 trillion USD by 2040, the space industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. Given the booming investment in the space industry and the anticipated space tourism era, it is crucial to assess the impact of already operative launch assets as well as to adopt design-to-sustainability strategies for the under-development and future launchers. This paper discloses novel analytical formulations to estimate nitrogen oxides emissions of a hydrogen-fueled air-breathing concept using a Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine technology. Benefitting of 0D chemical-kinetic air/hydrogen combustion numerical simulations and related high-fidelity emissive database representative of various on-ground and in-flight operative conditions, the paper formulates novel analytical formulations to extend the prediction capability towards high-speed engines and hydrogen fuel. Throughout the paper, the Skylon spaceplane and its Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine are used as case study. The methodology disclosed allows proving the high competitiveness of this air-breathing space launchers with respect to famous past and current competitors, as the Space Shuttle and the Falcon 9.