STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES OF HYPERSONIC SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES WITH EMPHASIS ON THE ROLE OF SUB-ORBITAL FLIGHT

The relevance and the main features of Hypersonic Flight are shortly presented and discussed. A synthetic overview of the few realisations and of many studies, projects and technological demonstrators offers opportunity of point out many interesting aspects. Then the more actual realisations and studies are considered, with particular attention to the new sector of small suborbital planes for Space Tourism. That gives opportunity of proposing a Road Map for an affordable and logic development of Hypersonic Flight, passing through the development of a suborbital Space Tourism plane on the basis of an existing subsonic business jet. Then the suborbital plane will constitute the basis of developing an Hypersonic Cruise Business Jet and, as a next step, a TSTO.