X Prize For Human Orbital Vehicle Studied

The X Prize Foundation has completed a study on how the Federal Government—NASA—can establish cash prizes to spur human-carrying orbital spacecraft.

A Human Orbital Vehicle (HOV) challenge would build upon NASA’s Centennial Challenges program. Presently, however, that effort is limited in the size of prizes offered by the space agency, now no greater than $250,000.

NASA’s Centennial Challenges are contests to stimulate innovation and competition in solar system exploration and ongoing NASA mission objectives.

Numbers of Centennial Challenges have already been put in place, from tether and beam power competitions to astronaut glove development and making oxygen out of the Moon’s regolith.

The first X-Prize for suborbital flight was $10 million. The competitors are naturally some distance down the path toward orbit, but it seems to me that $50 million might be A) more like it for orbital flight and B) a little more difficult to raise.

Andrew Beal, the founder of the now-defunct Beal Aerospace, was a contributor toward the original X-Prize. He's out of the biz, but the liquid fueled engine his company tested (about three years after the company was founded) could be mighty useful to someone.

Status	Name	Nationality	Thrust**	Propellants	Notes
Out-of-production	F-1	USA	1.7 million	Liquid Oxygen - Kerosene	5 used in each Apollo Saturn Stage 1. Flown between 1967 to 1973.
Development stopped	RD-270	USSR	1.5 million	Nitrogen Tetroxide – UDMH	Tested, but never flown. Largest single-chamber engine designed by USSR.
Development stopped	M-1	USA	1.2 million	Liquid Oxygen – Liquid Hydrogen	Designed as replacement for F-1. Program canceled in 1966.
In production	BA-810	USA	810,000	Hydrogen Peroxide - Kerosene	Stage 2 engine of BA-2 launch vehicle. First test 1Q 2000; first flight 2002.
In production	RS-68	USA	745,000	Liquid Oxygen – Liquid Hydrogen	Currently in development and production for use on Delta IV launch vehicle.

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