The REL team began a test week on the STERN Engine on 3rd December. Four more hot firings were conducted by 9th December. These firings were to investigate the flow in the Expansion Deflection Nozzle wake region and thus extending our knowledge from earlier work on this particular area. 

As revealed in the 8th December Aviation Week article, the SKYLON concept design is being reworked to take it from the configuration C1 to configuration D1. The new vehicle will be slightly bigger, with a 25% increase in payload mass. The payload bay is being resized and there is a revision to the mounting provisions and other payload support features. The new configuration will include the result of a number of technology development programmes almost certainly including an Expansion Deflection Nozzle in the SABRE Engine following the successful STERN Engine test programme.

After a successful operating phase, this month the REL technical team safely dismantled the contra-rotating turbine and dynamometers at the B9 test facility. All items have also been moved to secure storage. Preparations are also in hand to re-commission the Viper gas turbine for initial pre-cooler experiments in the new year of 2009.

Aviation Week - Dec 2008 issue (subscription required).