Aerospace company POLARIS Spaceplanes has been awarded a contract by the German Federal Office for Armaments (BAAINBw) to develop a ground-breaking spaceplane that will serve the needs of the country’s military.
The aim is to design a fully reusable polysonic research vehicle, which will serve as the basis for further developments. The conventional take-off/landing spacecraft will serve as a test platform for both military use and scientific research.
In addition, the vehicle will be able to operate as a launch vehicle for small satellites, provided it is equipped with a disposable rocket stage that will propel them into orbit.
The German POLARIS has relevant experience and one of its proposals, which will probably form the basis for this program, is the Aurora spaceplane, which provides for up to 10 tons of payload for suborbital flight, or one ton for placement in orbit. The same plan provides for missions, e.g. reconnaissance with a flight at an altitude of 100 kilometers and at speeds of up to Mach 10. While the planned reusability significantly reduces the cost compared to traditional disposable space vehicles.
