Rocket Boost
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The University and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will further develop Scramjet Technology in a new experiment to fly at Woomera, South Australia, in August 2005.
UQ and JAXA officials in July signed an agreement confirming the $1.3 million HyShot 4 program, which will provide more extensive pressure and temperature measurements than previous flights.
HyShot program leader Professor Allan Paull said the new flight would be conducted at an estimated speed of Mach 7.6, or about 8000km an hour.
"The flight experiment will corroborate measurements obtained in ground-test facilities at JAXA in Kakuda, Japan, and in the University?s T4 shock tunnel in Brisbane," he said.
Dr Katsuhiro Itoh, the JAXA High Enthalpy Shock Tunnel Team leader, said HyShot 4 was the only hypersonics project approved this year by the agency.
"We have chosen to work with the HyShot team at UQ because we believe this offers us the best chance for success," Dr Itoh said.
Scramjets are air-breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines.
They are set to make possible two-hour flights from Sydney to London and revolutionise the launch of small space payloads, such as communications satellites, by substantially lowering costs.
