Italy's CIRA research centre has completed the system requirements review for its unmanned space vehicle (USV) series of hypersonic flying testbeds, paving the way for the first drop tests in 2005. The unmanned vehicles are being developed to flight-test technologies for future spaceplanes, including re-entry, reusability and sustained hypersonic flight, says CIRA's Gennaro Russo.
CIRA has received €70 million ($86 million) in funding for Slice 1 of the USV programme, which covers the first three of six planned test flights. Two drop tests from a stratospheric balloon are planned for June and December 2005, followed by a suborbital test in 2006. Drop tests will use the unpowered first vehicle, FTB-1, while the suborbital flight will use FTB-2, which will have a booster motor, reaction controls and thermal protection.
Slice 2 of the USV programme covers two hypersonic flight tests using the powered FTB-2, planned for 2007-8, one with a liquid propulsion system. An orbital re-entry test is planned for 2009, for which the third vehicle, FTB-3, will be carried into a 200km (110nm) circular orbit by Italy's new Vega small launch vehicle. The FTBs are generic flying laboratories designed to host various experiments, says Genarro.
Source: Flight International
