Heat dissipation considerations of a horizontal take-off launcher during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere

The major design concern associated with the re-entry of a space vehicle is the heat generated by atmospheric braking and its safe dissipation. In this paper, a launcher that is single stage to orbit and designed to take off and land horizontally is considered. The study explores how best to account for the heat generated on the vehicle surface during high speed re-entry and develop strategies to remove or minimize its effects so that the vehicle can land safely and remain reusable while minimizing maintenance efforts and cost. The first stage involved the modelling of the heating effects resulting from the energy dissipation required. This is dependent on the trajectory of the vehicle which determines the rate at which energy needs to be dissipated. Two flight profiles have been considered: a skip approach, where the vehicle descends into the atmosphere and then is deflected back clear of the sensible atmosphere, and a shallow approach into the atmosphere. The implications of these approaches in terms of rate of energy dissipation are examined, the heating implications explored and suitable strategies developed.