Transpiration Cooling to Handle the Aerothermodynamic Challenges of the SpaceLiner Concept

At the Space Launcher System Analysis (SART) department of DLR-Cologne, a hypersonic spaceplane for passenger transportation is being investigated. The spaceplane is called the “SpaceLiner”. The vehicle performs its rocket powered, intercontinental flight via a suborbital trajectory. The paper describes the concept and identifies what is considered its major challenge. This challenge is the aerodynamic heating of the vehicle. This is discussed, and a possible solution for handling the extreme heatloads will be presented. The solution involves an innovative new way of transpiration cooling, using liquid water