Posted on 01/25/2020 7:17:32 AM PST by BenLurkin
The aerospace giant had named its hypersonic concept vehicle Phantom Express. That moniker is now oddly appropriate, since the spacecraft will never take physical form.
Experimental Spaceplane, previously known as XS-1, aimed to nurture the development of a reusable vehicle that could help loft satellites cheaply and rapidly. Indeed, DARPA wanted the craft to be capable of launching 3,000-lb. (1,360 kilograms) satellites into orbit 10 times in 10 days, at a cost envisioned to drop eventually to around $5 million per mission.
DARPA initiated Experimental Spaceplane in 2013. In 2017, the agency selected Boeing for the second and third phases of the program. Boeing won out over two other teams — one a partnership between Masten Space Systems and the now-defunct XCOR Aerospace, and the other a collaboration involving Northrop Grumman and Virgin Galactic.
During Phase 2, Boeing's Phantom Works division — which built the U.S. Air Force's two robotic X-37B space planes — was to design, build and test a technology-demonstration vehicle. Phase 3 would have involved test flights of Phantom Express, with 12 to 15 such demonstration missions originally targeted to take place in 2020.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Boy could we use a North American or McDonnell Douglas these days. :D
Oh, and they can scrap ALL of this diversity crap. Either someone can design/build/repair or they cannot.
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Physics is a harsh mistress.
I know there were promising designs out there. I don’t think it was unrealistic.
Maybe. . .maybe they want to take technology development in a different direction.
Never know. . . .
*ping*
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