Rocketplane XP
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The Rocketplane XP is a suborbital spaceplane under development by Rocketplane Limited, Inc.. The vehicle is powered by two jet engines and a rocket engine, enabling it to reach suborbital space. The XP is designed to operate from existing spaceports in a manner consistent with established commercial aviation practices.
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[edit] Flight trajectory
The Rocketplane XP, carrying a pilot and five commercial participants (passengers), will take off from a runway using a jet engine just like regular aircraft and ascend to about 12 km (40,000 feet). At this point, a reusable rocket engine powers the XP until it shuts off and the XP continues in free-fall to altitudes of over 100 km (62 miles). The XP will then reenter Earth’s atmosphere and land at the same spaceport under conventional jet power.
The XP will operate from the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark near Burns Flat, Oklahoma.
[edit] Loan of flight test engine
On January 24, 2006 Rocketplane Limited announced a Space Act agreement with NASA Johnson Space Center for the loan of a Rocketdyne RS-88 rocket engine for three years, for use in flight tests of the XP vehicle.[1]
[edit] New configuration
Rocketplane CEO George French Sr told NASASpaceFlight that the company is working on a new Rocketplane XP configuration. He said the new configuration would be announced at the X Prize Cup.[2]
[edit] Advantages
If successful, the XP will prove to be a far more economical and efficient path to suborbital space. The XP’s design gives it two substantial advantages to conventional rocket-only spacecraft:
1. The XP is able to utilize the ambient oxygen in the atmosphere during take-off (under jet power) where traditional rockets (including the space shuttle) depend on stored oxygen while still in Earth's atmosphere.
2. The XP consists of a single reusable craft. There are no accessory modules that require recovery, replacement or servicing. This substantially adds to the crafts flexibility, reduces cost, reduces the required staff and reduces the number of possible failure points.
Critics of the XP have noted numerous flaws with the original conceptual design. The XP is seeking challenges Lockheed did not attempt with the NF-104.
[edit] Other Rocketplane Limited spaceplanes
In addition to the XP, Rocketplane Limited is trying to develop multiple generations of spaceplanes to serve the civilian and military markets based on successful United States Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA awards as well as continued growth in the space tourism market. However, the energy and technology gap between a suborbital spaceplane and an orbital one is huge. Even if the suborbital Rocketplane XP is successful, Rocketplane will need a lot of resources and technology breakthroughs to build an orbital craft.
[edit] References
- ^ NASA Loans Out Engine for Suborbital Spaceflight Tests. Space News.
- ^ Rocketplane Kistler press on despite COTS notice. NASASpaceFlight.
- It's a Rocket! It's a Plane! It's...Rocket Plane!. Popular Science.
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[edit] See also
- EADS Astrium Space Tourism Project, a copy of the Rocketplane XP by EADS
[edit] External links
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