Design of Hydrogen Powered High Altitude Canard-Wing Aircraft for Aerosol Injection into the Stratosphere

[Geoengineering News]

https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mems500/313/

Authors: Edward N. Hogea, Washington University in St. Louis

21 December 2026

Abstract

This paper presents the conceptual design and preliminary performance assessment of a hydrogen-powered, high-altitude canard-wing aircraft intended for stratospheric aerosol injection missions. The aircraft is designed to deliver a 50,000 lb aerosol payload at 65,000 ft while sustaining cruise for approximately 3.5 hours. Liquid hydrogen propulsion is employed to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions, minimizing the aircraft's environmental footprint and enhancing the climate impact of the stratospheric aerosol injection mission. An iterative design process using established aircraft sizing methods and RDSwin was conducted to refine the geometry, propulsion, weights, aerodynamics, stability, and mission capabilities of this aircraft. The final configuration features a swept canard-wing layout with high-aspect-ratio lifting surfaces, winglets, and ten hydrogen-fueled turbofan engines derived from the GE F118 baseline. Mission analysis indicates sustained cruise at Mach 0.84 and 65,000 ft for 210 minutes, with a takeoff gross weight of approximately 220,800 lb and a cruise lift-to-drag ratio near 20. While operating close to its performance ceiling, this aircraft satisfies the primary mission requirements, demonstrating the feasibility of hydrogen-powered canard-wing aircraft for high-altitude aerosol delivery.

Source: WashU