In the present work a preliminary performance study regarding a small hypersonic airplane named HyPlane is
presented. It is designed for long duration sub-orbital space tourism missions, in the frame of the Space Renaissance
(SR) Italia Space Tourism Program. The vehicle is also consistent with a point-to-point medium range hypersonic
trip, within the “urgent business travel” market segment. The design of such a hypersonic airplane is based on the
concept of integrating available technologies developed for aeronautical and space atmospheric re-entry systems.
The vehicle, characterized by high aerodynamic efficiency and low wing loading, is able to provide aerodynamic
stability and manoeuvrability along the flight path and to produce a reduced sonic boom during cruise and supersonic
descent approach, ensuring a very limited environmental impact. HyPlane, powered by Turbine Based Combined
Cycle (TBCC) engines plus a throtteable Rocket, is able to perform Horizontal Takeoff and Horizontal Landing
(HTHL) on runways. Aerodynamic and propulsive performances for the different flight regimes encountered during
the missions are studied. Aerodynamic heating effects are analyzed, in order to identify suitable structures and
materials design to sustain the hypersonic flight conditions. Different flight paths are also investigated, including
hypersonic cruise and sub-orbital parabolic trajectories, which provide Space tourists with the opportunity of long
duration missions, offering short and repeated periods of low-gravity, in the high stratosphere where a large view of
the Earth is ensured
