Sabre hybrid rocket-jet engine

BAE Systems has bought a 20% stake in a company developing a radical engine that could propel aircraft into space. The Sabre hybrid rocket/jet engine is designed to launch satellites at a fraction of current costs

SKYLON SPACEPLANE
SOMA: Orbital manoeuvering engines
Ceramic aeroshell
Canards: Provide extra stability
Twin Sabre engines: Hydrogen mixed with oxygen scooped from atmosphere. As air density falls, engines switch to full rocket mode using onboard liquid oxygen
SOMA propellant
Liquid hydrogen tank Liquid oxygen tanks Payload bay Can carry satellites or 40 passengers Liquid hydrogen tank Auxiliary propellant
Length: 83 metres  Top speed: Mach 5.5 in atmosphere, Mach 25 in orbit Fuel use: 80 percent less than standard rocket
Launches: 200 per vehicle

SABRE (Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine)
Bypass burners Excess hydrogen burned off
Compressor Air compressed before mixing
Precoolers: Fine pipework extracts heat and drops air to -140°C in 0.01 seconds Hot air
Rocket engine nozzles
Combustion chamber: Fuel mixture burned
Air intake cone Closes when in conventional rocket mode Open Closed

Sources: Reaction Engines, wire agencies  Pictures: Reaction Engines

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