| XP | |
|---|---|
| Role | Sub-orbital spaceplane |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Rocketplane Kistler |
The Rocketplane XP is a former suborbital spaceplane design that was under development circa 2005 by Rocketplane Kistler. The vehicle was to be powered by two jet engines and a rocket engine, intended to enable it to reach suborbital space. The XP was being designed to operate from existing spaceports in a manner consistent with established commercial aviation practices. In 2007, the vice president of Rocketplane Kistler said that commercial flights would begin in 2009.[1] Rocketplane Global declared bankruptcy in mid-June 2010.[2]
The Rocketplane XP, carrying a pilot and five spaceflight participants (passengers), has a flight profile that would have taken off from a runway using a jet engine, like a conventional 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 mi). The XP was to then reenter Earth’s atmosphere and land at the same spaceport under conventional jet power.
The XP was expected to operate from the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark near Burns Flat, Oklahoma.
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.[3]
Rocketplane CEO George French Sr told NASA SpaceFlight that the company is working on a new Rocketplane XP configuration. He said the new configuration would be announced at the X Prize Cup.[4]
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