CNES - EOLE aerial launch platform -

[Michel Van]

EOLE is part of the CNES Perseus program for new innovative launch systems for the future.
The project started in 2008 and its design, aerodynamic configuration and internal arrangement are developed by ONERA, Aviation Design and Planète Sciences. The design was frozen in Mars 2010
EOLE scale model demonstrator are build by L3AR (Lancement Assisté par Aéroporteur Automatique Réutilisable)


any similarly with White Knight / SS2 are just coincidental :


Source:
http://www.perseus.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=8


http://robotpig.net/aerospace-news/eole-aerial-launch-platform---cnes-perseus-_2070

 

[archipeppe]

Burt Rutan-ish style strike back in Europe....

 

[blackstar]

I can see what looks like one design weakness: only two engines. White Knight has four, two on each side. The reason is so that if they lose an engine they don't have all the thrust on one side of the aircraft. This design moves the engines farther in (and above the wing) to avoid having a big thrust imbalance, but that is not a typical engine location. They might be better going to four engines instead.

 

[Michel Van]

oh there easy answers to that Blackstar
the unmanned demonstrator has a wingspan of only 6.7 meters !
compare to WK/SS2 is this tiny, so only two engine
So far i understand, EOLE is for launch small payloads suborbital or Orbital.

additional source:
http://www.onera.fr/en/actualites/image-du-mois/wind-tunnel-test-the-eole-airborne-launcher

 

[blackstar]

oh there easy answers to that Blackstar
the unmanned demonstrator has a wingspan of only 6.7 meters !
compare to WK/SS2 is this tiny, so only two engine
So far i understand, EOLE is for launch small payloads suborbital or Orbital.

I assume that it is subscale and that an operational vehicle would be larger.