Chul Park/ Kyoung-Ho Kim
International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sicences, vol. 6, no. 2, pp.46-55, 2005

Abstract : A rocket-powered vehicle is designed conceptually which uses an engine running on methane and oxygen and delivering 10 tons of thrust. The aerodynamic coefficients of the vehicle are taken to be those of the Japan's HOPE-X, and the weight of this vehicle is estimated using a method developed by NASA. The resulting vehicle will be about 9 meters long, 5.8 meters in wing span, weigh about 2 tons empty, carry a maximum of 5.6 tons of propellant, and endure a g-load of 4.5. The craft will be able to carry five passengers, in addition to a pilot, and fly for space tourism between a northern and a southern airport with a maximum g-load varying from 3g to 4g depending on the route flown.

Keyword : Liquid Propellant Rocket, Space Plane, Space Tourism, Reentry, hypersonic aerodynamics