Reaction Engines Limited :: SKYLON - Passenger Capabilities

Though the SKYLON has primarily been designed to launch satellites, consideration has been given to its passenger carrying capabilities. SKYLON is basically a hypersonic aircraft with hybrid engines, changing their mode of operation as the vehicle leaves the atmosphere. On return, because it is an aircraft, it has a cross range capability and ends its flights by landing conventionally on a runway.

A provisional study of a passenger module was conducted by Reaction Engines in 2002 and reported in a paper published in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (Download as PDF).

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Passenger Module
The SKYLON payload bay is 12.7m long, 4.6m wide and 4.6m high. During normal satellite delivery operations, the bay would carry an interchangeable payload container. When used for passenger transport, an alternative pressurised, self-contained module could readily be fitted between flights. This module would provide a breathable atmosphere and additional life support for 30 or 40 passengers. Under the floor of the cabin, part of the space is needed for life support equipment, with the rest available for passenger baggage and cargo.

Cabin Layout
The central feature of the module is the transfer airlock, used for docking to a space station and for in-orbit transfer between vehicles. Normal ground access is by means of two side doors in the module, which line up with doors in the exterior of the SKYLON fuselage. Passengers would enter and exit using normal airport airbridges.

In case of a ground emergency, e.g. runway overshoot, passengers would exit the cabin through these doors and make their way to the ground by conventional inflatable chutes. The cabin also has two toilet cubicles, operating along the lines of those found on the Russian 'MIR' space station.

Illustrations showing the Installation of the Cabin Module (Click for larger Image)

Special Features
It would be possible to incorporate windows in the 'roof' of the module. During ascent and descent, the payload bay doors would be kept closed, but during the coasting ascent and while in orbit, the payload bay doors would be opened and SKYLON rolled 'upside down', providing views of the Earth. While not strictly necessary, windows would possibly reduce the symptoms of space sickness by providing a spatial reference, and of course, the views would far surpass anything that could be seen on a screen. These windows would need to be of a triple layer design, such as those found on the Space Shuttle.

Acceleration (G-Force) experienced by the passengers needs to be considered. It has been shown that it is possible to adjust the ascent profile in such a way that acceleration effects would be no more extreme than those felt on a modern fairground ride, and would not pose a problem for a typically healthy and fit person. Effects felt during the descent phase would be even less extreme.

Latest Developments

Another look at the way to carry passengers on SKYLON was independently studied by Mark Hempsell before he joined Reaction Engines. This work was reported in a paper at the 1st International Academy of Astronautics “Symposium on Private Human Access to Space” held in Arcachon (France) in May 2008. This paper has not yet been published in a journal, but the presentation slides can be downloaded and it was reported by Flight International’s Rob Coppinger on his Hyperbola blog.

This study looked at a two stage development of SKYLON’s crew capability. The “Initial Configuration” would carry 1 pilot and 4 passengers (all of whom have ejector seats) and nearly 3 tonnes of supplies. This configuration would be used during test flights and during early SKYLON operations to support small stations like the ISS.

Once the SKYLON flight experience is enough to get full passenger certification without escape systems, the module is reconfigured to the Final Configuration which can carry 20 passengers and 1.5 tonnes of supplies to an ISS orbit. The lower number of passengers from the 2002 study is due to the supplies carried and the need for the module to be lighter to reach the higher altitude high inclination orbits used by the ISS. This design also differs from the 2002 study by incorporating reclined couches for long stay astronauts.

The conclusion was that a trip to orbit in the upright seat, suitable for stays in zero-g up to 14 days, would cost around $500,000.

Further research and development of the passenger module is being undertaken as part of the ongoing D1 re-design activity.

2 Configurations of the Passenger Module
(Click for larger Image)

Slide Presentation
"A Phased Approach to Orbital Public Access"

Download as PDF

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