|
Some former and promising recent U.S.
VTVL demonstrators
for technology research in suborbital flights as well as for moon landings
Norbert Brügge, Germany
|
Company
|
Demonstrator name |
Original purpose |
Status |
Propulsion (psessure fed) |
|
Engine (Typ) |
Thrust |
Cooling |
Propellant |
|
McDonnell Douglas
|
Delta Clipper
(DC-X)
|
VTVL
demonstrator |
|
four RL-10-5
|
|
|
LH2/LOX |
|
Armadillo Aerospace
|
VTOL demonstrator
|
Ansari
X-Prize |
destoyed
|
four small
engines
|
? |
|
Mix of Hydrogen-Peroxide
in water and Methanol
|
|
Vertical Drag
Racer (VDR)
|
Test vehicle |
retired
|
XPC-06
|
|
ablative |
Ethanol / LOX |
|
retired
|
LLC-08
|
|
extra film |
|
retired
|
experimental
|
|
|
|
Quad
|
X-Prize Cup
(Lunar lander) |
retired
|
XPC-06-1
|
2,900 lbf |
ablative |
Ethanol / LOX |
|
Quad
|
retired
|
XPC-06-2
|
|
|
Quad
|
retired
|
XPC-07
|
|
extra film |
|
Mod
|
retired
|
XPC-07
|
|
extra film |
|
Quad
|
NG LLC (Lunar lander) |
retired
|
XPC-06-2
|
|
ablative |
Ethanol / LOX |
|
Quad
|
retired
|
XPC-07
|
|
extra film |
|
Mod
|
retired
|
LLC-08-1
|
4,000 lbf |
|
SuperMod
|
retired
|
LLC-08-2
|
|
|
Mod 2000
|
CRuSR (VTOL for research) |
retired
|
CRuSR-10
|
4,600 lbf |
|
Dalek
|
retired
|
CRuSR-11
|
|
|
|
Engine test for NASA |
|
?
|
|
? |
Methane / LOX |
|
NASA
|
Morpheus
(up-scaled Quad)
|
Lunar
Lander |
active
|
HD5
|
5,400 lbf |
extra film |
Methane / LOX |
|
Masten Space Systems
|
XA-0.1
|
X-Prize
Cup |
retired
|
two engines
|
a 500 lbf |
extra film |
Isopropanol / LOX
|
|
XA-0.1B (Xombie)
|
NG LLC (lunar lander) |
active
|
B-750
|
750 lb |
extra film |
|
XA-0.1E1 (Xoie)
|
retired
|
|
XA-0.1E2 (Xaero
A)
|
CRuSR (VTVL
for research) |
lost
|
|
XA-0.1E4 (Xaero
B)
|
inactive |
Cyclops-AL-3 |
1,000 lbf |
|
XA-0.1E5 (Xodiac)
|
active |
1200 lbf |
|
Blue Origin |
PM-1 (Goddard
|
VTVL demonstrator |
retired
|
BE-2 (9)
|
a 254 lbf |
|
Kerosene (RP-1) /
Hydrogen-Peroxide |
|
PM-2 (New Shepard)
|
retired
|
BE-2 (5)
|
|
X-Prize Cup: The Northrop
Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is a competition funded by NASA's Centennial
Challenges program. The competition offers a series of prizes for teams that
launch a vertical takeoff/vertical landing (VTVL) rocket
that achieves the vehicle to move between the surface of the Moon and its
orbit. The multi-level competition is conducted by the X-Prize Foundation,
with sponsorship from the Northrop Grumman Corporation. It has been held annually
at the X-Prize Cup.
NG LLC: The X-Prize Cup was canceled for 2008, the Lunar Lander Challenge
was held separately by Northrop Grumman.
Winners NG LLC, Level 1: First prize: Armadillo Aerospace 24 October 2008.
Second prize: Masten Space Systems 7 October 2009
Winners NG LLC, Level 2: First prize: Masten Space Systems 30 October 2009.
Second prize: Armadillo Aerospace 12 September 2009
CRuSR: Masten Space Systems of California, and Armadillo Aerospace
of Texas were awarded contracts by NASA to provide flight opportunities for
engineers, technologists and scientific researchers to fly technology payloads
into space. It is part of NASA�s Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR)
program.
|
|
|
|
The Ansari
X-Prize demonstrator's propulsion system consisted
of four pressure-fed, hydrogen peroxide in 50% water + Methanol,
monopropellant system engines fed from a single tank.
|
|
|
|
VDR-1
|
Engine XPC-06-1 with graphite
nozzle)
|
|
|
|
VDR's with various
experimental engines
|
|
|
|
Quad demonstrator flight
|
with XPC-06-1 engine
|
|
XPC-06-1 and XPC-06-2 engines
|
Quad (Pixel) demonstrator with
XPC-06-2
|
|
Quad (Texel)
|
with new XPC-07 engine (crashed)
|
|
Mod demonstrator
|
with new film cooled engine XPC-07
|
|
|
Mod demonstrator
|
with new engine design (LLC-08-1)
|
|
|
Mod, with single pressure
tank
|
|
SuperMod, with green pressure
tanks
|
and engine LLC-08-2
|
SuperMod, with Scorpius pressure
tanks
|
|
Mod, with nosecone
|
SuperMod, with nosecone
|
|
Mod2000, with new engine CRuSR-10
|
Mod2000
|
|
Dalek rear
|
Dalek, in new outfit
|
|
Dalek with engine CRuSR-11
(tested 2008)
|
Dalek
|
|
Mod, with experimental engine
for Methane fuel
|
Mod, with experimental engine
for Methane fuel
|
The XA-0.1-B1 (�Xombie�) is
a Masten B-class type A vehicle that has been in active service
since 2009. The XA-0.1-B1 holds the company�s record for the most
commercial rocket multi-flight test campaigns at 14, and most flights
by ANY rocket powered airframe at 227. Xombie competed in the Lunar
Lander Challenge Phase 1 in 2009, as has been instrumental in the
development and refinement of Entry, Decent, and Landing (EDL) Technologies
for NASA and JPL. |
|
XA-0.1-B1 (Xombie)
|
Engine B-750
|
|
|
|
|
|
