In this paper the (Advanced) Space Launcher Research program of the Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, will briefly be described, including some of the major results obtained so far. The research pro­gram was initiated early 1992 and is supported, in part, by the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs (NIVR). The main goal of the research program is to perform (long-term) research necessary to develop advanced technologies for future space launchers and (re)entry capsules and to allow improvement of the Faculty's cur­riculum.
The main activities in the program are coordinated with Dutch industry and research institutes as part of a joint research program on advanced technologies for space launchers, referred to as AEOLUS.
The Faculty's research program includes sys­tem analysis, aerothermo-dynamics, flight dynamics, and structures and materials. The investigations concerning systems analysis and flight dynamics concentrate on fully integrated design and design optimization, 6 degrees of freedom flight simulation and joint state- and (aerodynamic) parameter estimation. The studies on aerothermodynamics aim to improve the numerical simulation of (high) super- and hypersonic airflow, including the accompanying heat transfer and chemical reactions. The studies on structures and materials concentrate on high thermally-loaded structures in super- and hypersonic airflows and on the use of fibre-metal laminates.