The European Space Agency has tapped UK-based Frazer-Nash to begin work on a Mach 5-capable flying testbed that will be used to test technology for future reusable spacecraft.
In late 2021, ESA published the first invitation to tender (ITT) for its Flying Engine Testbed initiative, which it dubbed INVICTUS. According to the call, the goal of the initiative was to develop a vehicle capable of Mach 5 flight in the Earth’s atmosphere. The vehicle would be required to be fully reusable and capable of wide reconfigurability, including the use of different avionics, materials, and propulsion solutions. According to a June 2021 ESA update published prior to the issuance of the ITT, the agency aimed to have the vehicle flying within four years.
On 18 October, the agency announced that it intended to reissue the ITT for its INVICTUS initiative, with the submission process opening in early July 2023. The agency typically reissues ITTs when the scope of a project changes or if it has not received a single qualifying bid.
In the Statement of Work for the reissued ITT, the agency explained that the “ultimate objective of INVICTUS is to build and fly a vehicle capable of Mach 5 flight in the atmosphere in the 2027-28 timeframe.” The document also states that the agency expects the vehicle to be powered by SABRE air-breathing engines, originally developed by the now-bankrupt Reaction Engines, with ESA providing partial funding for the development of the engine’s precooler system.
The agency has allocated a maximum budget of €6 million for the initial development of the project, to be split equally over two phases. The first phase will cover work up to a System Requirements Review. If the project is authorised to proceed, the second phase will extend up to the System Design Review.
On 16 July, the agency announced that the responsibility for these initial phases of its INVICTUS initiative had been awarded to a consortium led by Frazer-Nash. The company is a UK-based consultancy specialising in systems engineering and technical advisory services across sectors including aerospace, defence, and energy. The wider consortium includes Spirit AeroSystems and Cranfield University. According to the 16 July ESA press release, the contract covers the preliminary design of the full flight system over a period of 12 months.
“INVICTUS is an important next step in developing the technologies required for future spaceplanes and will give Europe a unique asset for exploring this type of flight,” said Mark Ford, Head of ESA’s Chemical Propulsion Section.
In its original Statement of Work for the project, the agency outlined the use of SABRE air-breathing engines to power its INVICTUS flying testbed. However, in its 16 July press release, this had been amended to refer to “SABRE-like” engines.
In a series of clarification documents attached to the project’s ITT, a potential bidder queried the status of the “outputs” related to the SABRE engine development. In its most recent response, the agency stated that “the requested documents are currently not available for distribution.” It added that it is working to resolve the issue, but could not provide a timeline for when the documents would be made available. It appears the agency may have been unable to secure rights to the full engine design and instead had to base a new design on elements it was directly involved in, specifically the precooler system.
Correction: A previous version of this article overstated ESA’s involvement in its funding of the SABRE engine’s development.
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Re “SABRE air-breathing engines, originally developed by the now-bankrupt Reaction Engines with ESA funding”.
ESA funded the development of the pre-cooler starting 2009. It added funds for the SABRE engine in 2016, jointly with UKSA. But there was also major investment from BAE, Boeing, Rolls Royce and the UAE amounting to over £100 m. DLR contributed the combustion chamber and Bristol University the expansion deflection nozzle, a.o.
I find it odd that ESA appears to be claiming sole credit for SABRE’s (incomplete) development.
That was my characterization and not the agency’s. I have updated the article to better reflect the reality of ESA’s contribution.
Acknowledged with thanks. However, it was the ESA press release which treats the SABRE program as their baby. It was not.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Shaping_the_Future/INVICTUS_Europe_s_new_hypersonic_test_platform
I was told by Frazer-Nash that the current thinking is the pre-coolers will be put in front of the EJ200 – the power unit on the Eurofighter Typhoon. For the purposes of the project, all they need are old units nearing end of life, so should be available assuming Rolls-Royce agrees. It was an old development unit that powered the Bloodhound Supersonic Car on its test runs in South Africa. The pre-coolers will operate on hydrogen which will then fuel an afterburner on the kerosene-fuelled EJ200. Mach 5 is the target. The EJ200 is 4m in length. The pre-cooler will be of similar length. The concept image is for a vehicle that is just under 40m in length and has a wet mass of about 36 tonnes.
That’s interesting. I appreciate the additional information.
I can already predict that this will be yet another concept study that ultimately leads to nothing. It’s not the first time Europe has wasted millions on studies of air-breathing engines. Does anyone remember LAPCAT (or its successor LAPCAT II)? I doubt it.