Orbital Sciences X-34

**X-34**
Size
The X-34 on the tarmac
Function	Unmanned re-usable spaceplane
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences Corporation
Country of origin	United States
Height	11.5 ft^[1] (3.5 m)
Diameter	n/a
Mass	18,000 lb^[1] (8,200 kg)
Stages	1
Capacity
Launch history
Status	Cancelled
Launch sites	Dryden Flight Research Center, Kennedy Space Center
Total launches	0
First stage - X-34
Engines	1 Marshall-designed Fastrac engine^[1]
Thrust	60,000 lbf^[1] (270 kN)
Burn time
Fuel	LOX/kerosene

The Orbital Sciences X-34 was intended to be a low-cost testbed for demonstrating "key technologies" which could be integratad into the Reusable Launch Vehicle program. It was intended to be an autonomous pilotless craft powered by a 'Fastrac' liquid-propellant rocket engine, capable of reaching Mach 8, and performing 25 test flights per year.

The X-34 began as a program for a suborbital reusable-rocket technology demonstrator. In early 2001, the first flight vehicle was near completion, but the program was ended after NASA demanded sizable design changes without further funding. The contractor, Orbital Sciences, refused to make the changes. Up to this point, the project had encompassed spending of just under $112 million: $85.7M from the original contract with designer Orbital Sciences, $16M from NASA and various government agencies for testing, and an additional $10M for Orbital Sciences to adapt its L-1011 carrier to accommodate the X-34. The program was officially canceled by NASA on March 1, 2001. The unpowered prototype had been used only for towing and captive flight tests when the project was canceled.

The two demonstrators remained in storage at Edwards Air Force Base^[2] until November 16, 2010, when both X-34s were moved with their vertical tails removed from Dryden to a hangar owned by the National Test Pilot school in Mojave, California. They are to be inspected, and NASA is investigating the possibility of restoring them to flight status.^[3]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "X-34: Demonstrating Reusable Launch Vehicle Technologies (wikisource) NASA factsheet 1999". Retrieved 2007-06-13.
↑ Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34 - 2007 photo. Airliners.net
↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/19/349997/photos-nasa-moves-x-34s-out-of-storage-considers-return-to-flight.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orbital Sciences X-34.

USAF / Joint Service experimental aircraft (X-plane) designations since 1941

1–25	X-1 X-2 X-3 X-4 X-5 X-6 X-7 X-8 X-9 X-10 X-11 X-12 X-13 X-14 X-15 X-16 X-17 X-18 X-19 X-20 X-21 X-22 X-23 X-24A / B X-25

26–50	X-26 X-27 X-28 X-29 X-30 X-31 X-32 X-33 X-34 X-35 X-36 X-37 X-38 X-39 X-40 X-41 X-42 X-43 X-44 X-45 X-46 X-47A / B / C X-48 X-49 X-50

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See also	D-558-1 D-558-2 M2-F1 M2-F2 M2-F3 HL-10 AD-1

¹ Not assigned.

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Orbital Sciences X-34

See also

References

External links