Reliable Ascent Flight Experiment: RAFLEX

A research center in Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has started research on re-usable launch vehicles according to its plan placing emphasis on advanced launch technology. It is proposed to demonstrate key technologies using a rocket-powered winged vehicle, and concept studies on the flight demonstrator have been conducted. The flight demonstrator is called Reliable Ascent Flight Experiment (RAFLEX). Flight tests are planned in the next medium term starting from fiscal year of 2008. Concept studies on RAFLEX have been conducted both in JAXA and under contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). A vehicle with four lox-hydrogen engines installed on the vehicle base seems feasible. Each engine’s thrust is 8.1 kN at sea level, and the vehicle’s dry weight and gross weight are 2050 kg and 2700 kg, respectively.