Booking preferred but not essential.

This is an IMechE Staffordshire Area event.


(link to European Space Agency INVICTUS webpage)

INVICTUS is a next generation, hypersonic propulsion test vehicle, currently being designed for the European Space Agency.  The lecture will cover the background relating to space access, reviewing current orbital launch market and legacy programmes for high lift-to-drag ratio vehicles (spaceplanes).  Recent developments relating to propulsion technology have re-ignited an interest in these vehicles as agile, high cadence options for small-medium payloads - and a European sovereign launch capability that competes on a cost-per-kilogram basis is unlikely to come from copycat approaches.

The INVICTUS programme is being led by Frazer-Nash Consultancy, in partnership with Shorts Brothers, Cranfield University and Rolls-Royce - to develop a test vehicle capable of delivering the high speed, high enthalpy environment required to mature the propulsion technology.  The planned test campaign builds towards Mach 5 flight at 25 km altitude in atmosphere - and seeks to capitalise throughout on high Technology Readiness Level solutions, or Commercial-off-the-shelf products where available to deliver reduced time and programme cost to flight.  Key technology enablers include pre-cooled air-breathing propulsion technology, cryogenic hydrogen systems and high temperature thermal protection systems.

The programme is recently progressed through System Requirements Review 1, marking a significant level of advancement of the overall platform and major systems.  The lecture will give a brief overview of many of the key areas of success - and highlight some significant challenges left to solve - as the team try to bring flexible, affordable high speed test capability to the European Aerospace sector.

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Agenda:

17:15 AGM of IMechE Staffordshire Area committee (all welcome to attend)
17:45 Presentation followed by Q+A (approx. timing)
19:30 Close of event (latest)

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Venue info:

College website - bsdc.ac.uk        
Directions - use the University Centre entrance on the junction between Lichfield St & Abbey St
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