Abstract
A design study was performed to define and compare the parameters of horizontal- and vertical-takeoff reusable launch-vehicle systems to identify promising configurations for further developmental emphasis. The investigation considered both two-stage rockets and single-stage airbreathing ramjet/scramjet-powered vehicles, thus representing next-generation and third-generation configurations, respectively. The payload requirement for each vehicle was 20,000 Ib delivered to a 100-n mile circular Earth orbit launched easterly from Kennedy Space Center. All vehicles were first analyzed using liquid hydrogen for the entire trajectory and then reanalyzed with liquid hydrocarbon fuel for the first stage, if a rocket, or for the low-speed trajectory segment to ramjet start for the airbreathers. The vertical-takeoff airbreathing vehicles were found to have the lowest empty weights and gross takeoff weights of all of the vehicle configurations, with three-dimensional inward-turning inlets outperforming two-dimensional inlets, and the use of hydrocarbon fuel outperforming hydrogen fuel for the launch propulsive segment to ramjet start. The best horizontal takeoff vehicle is the all-hydrogen inward-turning airbreather. For the two-stage rockets, the lightest empty weight was achieved with the use of hydrocarbon fuel in the booster and hydrogen fuel in the orbiter.
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