Water Injection Pre-Compressor Cooling Assist Space Access

Advances in space activity are linked to reductions in launch cost. Airbreathing propulsion assisted space access offers the potential for revolutionary change of the space operations paradigm. Horizontal launch of a space-access system provides mission flexibility, responsiveness, and affordability. One way to reduce launch cost is to increase the Mach number at which a launch vehicle is staged from a carrier aircraft. The water injection pre-compressor cooling (WIPCC) technology allows the operation of a turbine engine at higher than the design Mach number and altitude and provides enhanced thrust levels at elevated Mach numbers. The advantage of this technology is assessed with a modified QF-4C aircraft. Payloads are unachievable or marginal with an unmodified QF- 4C. However, payloads weighing around 150 pounds are plausible with this aircraft incorporating the WIPCC technology. This is an essential near-term technology for reducing launch cost to place small- and medium-weight payloads in low Earth orbit (LEO).