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WASHINGTON — Radian Aerospace, a firm with ambitions to engineer a spaceplane, is initially focusing on creating a re-entry vehicle. This vehicle will serve as both a technology demonstrator and a tool for hypersonic testing applications.
The Radian Reusable Reentry Vehicle (R3V)
The Seattle-based firm announced on April 29 its plans to develop the Radian Reusable Reentry Vehicle (R3V). This spacecraft is designed for hypersonic testing and retrieving payloads from space. It will also allow Radian to gain flight experience with critical technologies for its future Radian One spaceplane.
Testing Key Technologies
Livingston Holder, Radian’s chief technology officer, mentioned in an interview that the company sought ways to test Dur-E-Therm. Dur-E-Therm is the thermal protection system being developed for the Radian One. The firm had recently concluded lab tests of the system at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. “However, lab testing has its limits,” Holder explained. “We needed to devise a method to test it in a more applicable setting.”
This pursuit led to the development of the R3V. The company envisages launching the R3V, which stands at nearly two meters in height, on a small or medium-class launch vehicle. The vehicle will follow a suborbital trajectory to conduct tests during re-entry and then be recovered and reused.
“This approach will significantly aid the hypersonics community in reducing the cost of flying technology development systems,” Holder stated. “It will also help mature our own technologies. Thus, it addresses multiple independent needs.”
Benefits and Market Potential
Radian views the R3V as a means to test technology for the Radian One and as a source of early revenue. This revenue will come from customers interested in using the vehicle for their hypersonic testing requirements. Holder noted that the company has received interest from both potential government and commercial clients.
“The sooner we can deploy this vehicle, the more confidence customers will have in partnering with us,” he said. The company aims to have the R3V ready for its first flight by 2026, though he acknowledged that this timeline is ambitious.
Versatile Applications
The R3V features propulsion that enables its use in orbital applications. “If a client wants to conduct an experiment requiring a prolonged zero-gravity environment,” Holder explained, “we could facilitate that and return the experiment relatively quickly.”
Parallel Development with Radian One
Radian will advance the R3V concurrently with the Radian One. The company initiated tests last fall of a prototype vehicle, PFV01, including flights in Abu Dhabi. These tests evaluated the vehicle’s handling during takeoff and landing. Holder reported that the company is now working on a second prototype to incorporate lessons learned from PFV01 and other tests.
“Concurrently developing both the Radian One prototypes and the R3V fosters enthusiasm within the team and accelerates our learning,” he stated. “It provides us with opportunities to integrate our findings into the larger system, ultimately reducing risks from both technological and integration perspectives.”