SKYLON System Requirements Review

On 20th and 21st September, the UK Space Agency held a System Requirements Review on the commercial and technical capabilities of SKYLON at the International Space Innovation Centre at Harwell, England. Approximately ninety invited experts attended the event venturing from various European and global nations including the USA, Russia, India, Japan and South Korea. In the months leading up to the Review, three engineers from the European Space Agency (ESA) were seconded to REL in order to investigate our technology, methods and analysis. ESA will provide the UK Space Agency with an official report on the Workshop within in the next month.

The preliminary results of the event are indicative that the majority of the attendees consider SKYLON to be a viable concept. Responses to questions on the project provided a clear and honest overview of the programme. Dr Constantinos Stavrinidis, Head of Mechanical Engineering at ESA, gave the closing address and commended the competence of REL and its SKYLON concept.

REL hopes that the feasibility of the SKYLON programme is no longer in doubt and that the commercial and technical aspects of the project are well understood and recognised. Over the coming months, discussions with government, industry and private investment are due to take place and REL looks forward to further progressing SKYLON.

The UK Space Agency’s press release for the event is available at http://www.ukspaceagency.bis.gov.uk/19661.aspx?pf=1

Recently, one of the recurring questions has been the degree of government involvement in the SKYLON development. To date, the public contribution stands at 15% with the remaining 85% provided by private investment. REL intends SKYLON to remain as commercial a programme as possible.

Visit from Minister of State for Universities and Science

On 2nd September, as part of his visit to UKAEA at the Culham Science Centre, REL welcomed the Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, to its headquarters. The Minister was shown around REL’s exhibition area and showed great interest in the SKYLON concept.

First Production Heat Exchanger

REL’s manufacturing team completed its first production heat exchanger module this month. "The team is to be congratulated on producing this crucial heat exchanger module. For our first production item, it is an excellent result of which we are very proud" said REL’s Managing Director, Alan Bond. The first photograph of this hardware will feature in next month’s update.