It crashed just after takeoff without even being able to test its engine-rocketrocket aerospike. L’space planespace plane Mira I of Polaris Spaceplanes suffered a windwind side and a lurch of his steering wheel which were fatal to him. Even if the subsystems of theaircraftaircraft are intact, the cell made of fiberglass is irrecoverable after this crash.
This test should have been the opportunity to try the AS-1 linear rocket motor for the first time in flight condition. LOXLOX (oxygen liquidliquid)-kerosenekerosene, designed by the company. This would have been the very first flight-tested aerospike engine. Such an engine is not new, since this concept is almost 75 years old. But it has never been tried other than in the laboratory. It is a kind of nozzlenozzle rocket motor positioned upside down. Instead of the flow of combustioncombustion is produced inside, it is produced outside. The aerospike engine exploits the atmospheric pressureatmospheric pressure ambient around the rocket. The change in pressure changes the size and shape of the envelopeairair around the combustion. This air envelope then plays the role of nozzle and increasingly concentrates the thrust, while the pressure weakens.
Larger prototypes already ready for takeoff
This process makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the engine when the atmospheric pressure decreases by gaining altitude. This is the complete opposite of rocket engines which lose performance and must be combined in the form of different stages to propel the rocket. If during this flight the engine could not be tested, PolarisPolaris intends to move forward by launching as soon as possible the testing of an even larger space plane prototype. THE Mira II will have a wingspan of five meters with the same attributes. The firm has already planned another Mira III prototype. They will all have four jet turbines and an AS-1 aerospike engine. This is the same configuration as that of the Mira I. Polaris’ Mira project aims to transport payloads or passengers into space and be reusable, like a space shuttle. It’s apparently not for tomorrow…
This ambitious space plane completes 15 test flights and moves closer to commercialization
Article from Sylvain BigetSylvain Bigetpublished September 22, 2023
Polaris Spaceplanes’ Mira-Light prototype has just successfully completed a 15-flight test campaign. This space plane could take flight under the nameAuroraAurora from 2026 according to its manufacturer.
It is still only a reduced-size version, but it has just shown the flight behavior of the future space plane from the German company Polaris Spaceplanes. The Mira-Light successfully completed a test series of 15 flights. The space plane is only 2.5 meters long and flies using four electric motors. The objective of these flights, which lasted a total of 40 minutes, was to check the aerodynamics and flight control systems of the aircraft. Once the flight data has been processed and used, the prototype should evolve in size and be equipped with an aerospike rocket engine.
In flight from 2026?
This type of nozzle makes it possible to optimize propulsion whatever the altitude phases. The next Mira is expected to be 4.25 meters long and the next 6.7 meters. In future test flights, the aircraft will be equipped with four jet engines in addition to the aerospike engine. The tests will involve rocket-powered flights in the high atmosphereatmosphere land at supersonic speeds. Polaris Spaceplanes’ ambition is to commercialize the future Aurora space plane. It should be capable of carrying a payload of 10 tonnes to speedsspeeds suborbital. Polaris Spaceplanes already imagines commercial flights of its Aurora in 2026 or 2027.
