Now that spaceports and space travel look commercially feasible, a number of corporations would want a piece of the space pie. The Skylon spaceplane from Reaction Engines Limited is a reusable shuttle that should be cheaper than the currently available options. It is capable of takeoff and landing on the conventional airport runways, and uses a Sabre propulsion system for power.
The Sabre system is a cross between a jet engine and a rocket engine, and uses a mix of hydrogen and oxygen to generate energy. When those two gases get together, they generate a hell lot of heat, and we’re talking 1000 degrees Centigrade hot. To keep things cool, the engine uses a heat exchanger pre-cooler to reduce temperature of hot exhaust gases down to -130 degrees Centigrade in a lightning quick 0.01 seconds.
Via: Reaction Engines/ Dvice
