Posted on 08/28/2014 10:46:14 AM PDT by mandaladon
Aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman recently unveiled its concept for the Pentagons new space plane, the XS-1 an unmanned drone-shuttle capable of carrying small and medium-sized satellites into orbit cheaply and autonomously.
It would be a spacecraft that most resembles what people see in the movies, former Air Force Space Command Officer Brian Weeden told War is Boring about the concept craft, which is being headed up by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Northrop is competing with Boeing and Masten Space Systems for the contract to build the final product.
If we could pull it off, it would enable much cheaper and faster access to space, Weeden said. Something that many people see as the key to opening up space development.
While a typical single-use rocket-launched satellite takes months to plan at a typical cost of more than $50-million per launch, DARPA wants the XS-1 to be capable of deploying within hours, and able to execute 10 launches in just as many days at a cost of $5-million each, according to the report.
Designing such a craft carries a host of engineering obstacles, including adding permanent systems like landing equipment, fuel tanks and boosters. The latter two are typically shed during the course of a multi-stage rocket launch.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
The Atlas V vehicle is powered by Russian rockets.
I thought we were using Minotaur from converted Minuteman and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles.
That is what I recall.
Sorry, I’m missing a bunch
http://www.orbital.com/LaunchSystems/
http://www.ulalaunch.com/products_atlasv.aspx
Thanks for info. I recall that we were using them but didn’t remember where.
That’s because a SSTO is a pipe dream. Mass fractions doom all SSTO dreams.
DARPA is ol' Skool American exceptionalism.
The shuttles while getting the job done, initially were supposed to be re-usable within a 3 month turnover per vehicle.
That of course Never happened.
Also they were supposed to be a “cheep” way to go.
Typical gub mint crappola.
WE’ll see if this boondoggle costs stupid?
From 1988 to 1995 I was project historian for the National Aerospace Plane, or X-30 that had this same objective. How is this different?
Unmanned I believe is a difference.
Why isn't this latest paper plane called the X-20U? (unmanned)
Dyna-Soar was probably the most continued-funding-inept name ever.
The X-34 was air launched. It was just a scaled up version of the proven Pegasus delivery vehicle.
It's a Democrat plan to outsource all American jobs.
I heard they've even outsourced the US Presidency to some guy from Kenya.
Oh, ok, thanks.
My apologies. I was thinking the X-33 vehicle. Severe brain farts......
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