The EARL Project 

Experimental Autonomous Rocket-propelled Lifting body

This illustration shows the internal structure of the craft, which incorporated five bays for removable engine and fuel-tank modules, so that various configurations of engine type and power can be flown, including turbo-jets with modifications for air intakes. The prominent blue box will house the electronic flight navigation and control system, ahead of which, in the nose will be a video camera to give a continuous view throughout the flight. The flight control system will also report other vehicle parameters by telemetry, in parallel with the video feed. The vehicle contains also  a three-point retractable undercarriage at the corners of the vehicle.

At approximately 10,000 metres above the ground, the EARL sandwich will come apart and the two outside boosters will glide back to a controlled, unpowered, runway landing, while the centre vehicle will power on upwards, to approximately 20,000 metres or more and then return in the same way.

The vehicles will be held together by a simple clasp system, a hint of which is visible at the corners of the triangular flat areas of the hulls. Cessation of acceleration by the boosters and the start of acceleration by the centre vehicle will cause the vehicles to disconnect from each other.