Objective The objective is to identify and assess the long-term potential of commercial high-altitude flight in Europe for selected mission requirements, in view of the activities in the USA following the successful SpaceShipOne demonstration. Furthermore, it is proposed to identify for Europe missing developments in technology and address safety measures as well as needed steps to satisfy legislation.A corresponding research and development strategy to enable commercial high-altitude flights will be worked out in order to secure the international competitiveness of European industries. While the common understanding of the European community is that the sub-orbital high-altitude flight is technically feasible within a few years, building on the available knowledge in aviation, it has never been proven experimentally.The USA has achieved with SpaceShipOne an air-launched X-vehicle, which, however, will require significant effort before becoming a commercial, routinely used transport vehicle. Such sub-orbital flight is also understood to be on the borderline to space, since the transport of people is approaching the orbital environment without really entering it fully in the sense of having to master the harsh environment of hypersonic re-entry into the atmosphere.According to reports the interest in the USA in high-altitude flying is very large in spite of the high price, suggesting a profitable niche for commercial flight and triggering innovation in small industries to satisfy such demand.Key objectives are hence1. assess worldwide activities and define reasonable mission requirements2. identify potential show stoppers, technical but in particular non-technical ones, and missing elements for carrying out commercial high-altitude flight3. propose a way forward to achieve commercial sub-orbital flight, including potential self-sustained development steps leading to human hypersonic flight, and a funding scenario for a first experimental flight Fields of science engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringastronautical engineeringspacecraftengineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircraftsocial scienceslaw Programme(s) FP6-AEROSPACE - Aeronautics and Space: thematic priority 4 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) AERO-1.1 - Strengthening competitiveness AERO-2 - Space Call for proposal FP6-2002-AERO-2 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme SSA - Specific Support Action Coordinator EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY Address Keplerlaan 1 Noordwijk Netherlands See on map Links Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all EADS SPACE TRANSPORTATION GMBH Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Huenefeldstrasse 1-5 Bremen See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data DASSAULT AVIATION France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 9, rond-point des champs-elysées marcel dassault Paris See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUER LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Linder höhe Köln-porz See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 29, avenue de la division leclerc Chatillon See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data
