XCOR Lynx spaceplane updates

[DocM]

A lunar free return mission like Apollo 8 isn't that hard - quite possibly do-able with the in development reusable Falcon 9 (the Grasshopper project) and Dragon fitted with a service module instead of the trunk. With reuse the cost drops precipitously from the 10,000+ / lb for the shuttle flights to $100 / lb or less.

[DocM]

Seems the low-tax environment in Texas is drawing a lot of space company expansion these days; SpaceX, Blue Origin, now possibly XCOR and rumors of another that will go unmentioned.

http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stories/article_383247f8-c6fb-11e1-a6a0-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1zrCR8SBX

A rocket engine and spaceflight development company could locate its headquarters near Midland International Airport after votes on Monday by the Midland Development Corp. and the Midland City Council.

According to agendas posted Thursday, the two entities will vote on an incentive deal with XCOR Aerospace Inc., which currently operates from Mojave, Calif.

The company is being offered an incentive deal of about $10 million to create a corporate headquarters in Midland that eventually would include enough employees to necessitate a $12 million payroll, said Robert Rendall, MDC board secretary, who?s been working on the project.

?I didn?t realize this industry is as mature as it is,? Rendall said.

?I?m excited we?ve got the opportunity to kind of get in on the ground floor.?

Rendall said the MDC was connected to XCOR through ROI, a consulting firm that provides the MDC with leads, among other things.

Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer for XCOR, said Midland had been on its radar so when executives received a call from the MDC they were interested in learning more. Between the weather, the open space around Midland International Airport and the business climate, Nelson said Midland is an ideal place for them.

?Midland and Texas were high on that list as a business-friendly community and business-friendly state,? he said.

If the deal is approved Monday, XCOR will operate a research and development facility in Midland and will conduct flight tests here.

As part of the incentive package, XCOR is being offered $2 million for creating its headquarters in the Tall City, $3 million toward lease payments and capital improvements at the existing hangar and $5 million for performance incentives, according to a draft contract provided to the Reporter-Telegram.

XCOR would have to meet payroll requirements that would increase each year. After five years, the company would have to certify to the MDC that its Midland payroll is at least $12 million.

City council members and MDC board members said they?re ecstatic about the deal.

?Diversification is in progress,? said Jerry Morales, councilman at large. ?That was the main purpose for the creation of the MDC.?

Other officials said in addition to immediate diversification, they?re hopeful XCOR?s relocating to Midland will serve as a catalyst to bring other aerospace companies to the area.

?This is a great company and we?re looking forward to having them locate their operation in Midland,? said Scott Dufford, councilman at large.

[DocM]

Quick clip of the Lynx reveal for Texas Gov. Perry & Co.

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/17410/#.T_sJ_vpldBM.twitter

Commercial Space Company XCOR Announces R&D Headquarters in Texas

Gov. Rick Perry joined XCOR Aerospace and the Midland Development Corp. to announce the creation of XCOR's new Commercial Space Research and Development Center headquarters at the Midland International Airport. XCOR develops and produces reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems, and will create 100 jobs at this new facility.

"This is a great day for Midland and a huge step forward for the State of Texas. Visionary companies, like XCOR, continue to choose Texas because they know that innovation is fueled by freedom," Gov. Perry said. "Whether on the cutting edge of biotech, communications, commerce or privatized efforts to serve the needs of the next generation of space explorers, you can find Texas at the forefront of the movement."

XCOR's new headquarters will focus on development of the Lynx, the company's next generation reusable launch vehicle. Lynx is a two-seat suborbital vehicle that takes off and lands like normal aircraft. The vehicle will carry a pilot and one spaceflight passenger, and will provide affordable launch services for academic, scientific and engineering markets.

"We are pleased to be establishing our R&D Center in Midland, Texas, where the weather, surrounding landscape, the airport, and the local & state government environment are ideally situated for the future growth and the ultimate realization of a fully reusable orbital system," Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer of XCOR Aerospace, said. "With future suborbital operational sites on the East and West Coasts of the United States and around the world, plus a manufacturing and test facility geographically separate from our R&D facility, Midland will truly be at the heart of XCOR's innovation engine."

"We are elated to welcome XCOR to Midland and to the state of Texas. The Permian Basin is a proud and industrious area where we have developed and maintained the leadership, infrastructure and highly capable work force that will support the further development of XCOR systems," Rep. Tom Craddick said. "With the announcement of the new XCOR research and development headquarters being built in here, Midland will soon be known world-wide not just as a leader in oil and gas industry, but also as a trailblazer in the aerospace industry."

"The decision to establish XCOR's R&D Center Headquarters in Midland came after intense competition from other locations," Midland Development Corp. Executive Director Pam Welch said. "Once the technical and operational needs of XCOR were met, the final factors influencing the decision to locate R&D to Midland included the friendly business climate, a predictable regulatory environment and the State of Texas tort reform initiatives. These factors allowed XCOR to see a long term future happening in Midland."

[DocM]

Rapidly ramping up to production

ATK made the solid boosters for the Shuttle, and will make the solids for the upcoming NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Saturn V-class rocket. They are also a major ammo and munitions maker for militaries, and a builder of adrospace structures.

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/XCOR_Announces_ATK_as_Lynx_Mark_I_Wing_Detailed_Design_And_Build_Contractor_999.html

XCOR Announces ATK as Lynx Mark I Wing Detailed Design And Build Contractor

XCOR Aerospace has issued the initial phase of a two-phase contract to ATK's Aerospace Structures Division [NYSE:ATK] for the detailed design and manufacture of the Lynx Mark I suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV) wings and control surfaces. This announcement represents a critical milestone in the march toward assembly, test and entry into commercial service of the Lynx.

"This partnership with XCOR will provide unique insights and innovations," said Andrew Jackson, vice president of ATK's Aerospace Structures Division Launch Segment.

"ATK is honored to continue our heritage in creating composite manufacturing solutions for spaceflight and excited to engage in this commercial environment with XCOR."

"As an established industry leader it is only natural that XCOR sought to work with ATK as a key collaborator in the development of Lynx wings," said XCOR Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greason.

"Our engagements with ATK impressed me from the start, not only due to their position as a leader in the industry, but through their immediate grasp of the unique challenges we face in the construction of Lynx wings. The story of Lynx is the story of sound design and reliable engineering. We could not be more thrilled to work with ATK."

XCOR Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nelson added that "until recently NewSpace companies and established aerospace primes like ATK often had minimal interaction with companies like XCOR as the subcontractor.

With this effort we are establishing a model of how smaller NewSpace companies may utilize established government primes as our suppliers; ATK has demonstrated they are nimble, cost effective and can leverage deep experience from prior larger projects."

The initial wing and control surface design has been developed by XCOR to rigorous design standards to enable the craft to perform tens of thousands of flights to and from suborbital altitudes exceeding 100 kilometers.

ATK will create a detailed design ready for manufacture, working with structural and flutter analysis experts from Quartus Engineering in San Diego, Ca.

The wings will be installed on the Lynx Mark I, which is the prototype of the Lynx family of suborbital RLVs from XCOR; the production models are called Lynx Mark II.

[DocM]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/03/20/silicon-valley-space-center-to-develop-suborbital-payloads-for-lynx/

The Silicon Valley Space Center will develop four scientific payloads to fly on the XCOR Lynx spacecraft, which is currently under construction in Mojave, California.

?The Silicon Valley Space Center is proud to support the Citizens in Space program,? said Dr. Sean Casey, co-founder of the Silicon Valley Space Center. ?This is a unique opportunity to leverage the technical expertise of the Silicon Valley community in support of citizen science and the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.?

Citizens in Space has acquired an initial contract for 10 flights on the XCOR Lynx. This initial flight campaign will carry 100 citizen-science payloads and 10 citizen astronauts who will act as payload operators.

The experiments being developed by the Silicon Valley Space Center will serve as pathfinders for those citizen-science experiments. ?When a developer is learning a new programming language or technology, he starts out by building a ?Hello, world? application,? Casey said. ?These payloads serve as ?Hello, world? apps for space. They will provide a starting point for citizen scientists who are just getting started in space science.?

The Silicon Valley Space Center is currently reviewing candidate experiments in microgravity materials processing, fluid physics, life sciences, and other fields. Experiments built by the Silicon Valley Space Center will be featured at a series of ?Space Hacker? workshops for citizen scientists, the first of which is scheduled for May 4-5 at the Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, California.

?We are pleased to welcome the Silicon Valley Space Center as a partner,? said Edward Wright, project manager for Citizens in Space. ?The Center brings the scientific experience and knowledge of the Silicon Valley culture needed to make this program a success.?

?Payload designs will use open-source hardware wherever possible,? Casey said. To achieve this goal, the Silicon Valley Space Center is teaming up with Infinity Aerospace, a Silicon Valley startup that offers Nanorack-compliant and certified technologies for research experiments and commercial activities aboard suborbital and orbital facilities. ArduLab, an Arduino-based microgravity platform developed by Infinity Aerospace, will serve as the underlying hardware for experiments developed by the Silicon Valley Space Center.

[DocM]

http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/new-research-platform-developed-for-xcor-lynx-space-plane.html

Lynx Cub Payload Carrier Being Developed at Texas A&M

College Station, Texas (Mar. 28, 2013) ? A new payload carrier promises to dramatically reduce the cost of access to space for small scientific and education payloads.

The Lynx Cub Payload Carrier was announced today by the United States Rocket Academy. The Lynx Cub Carrier will fly on the XCOR Lynx space plane, now under construction at the Mojave Air and Space Port, and carry up to 12 experiments on each flight.

?The Lynx Cub Payload Carrier is a versatile system that installs in the Lynx cabin, behind the pilot?s seat, allowing small experiments to be carried as secondary payloads on any Lynx flight,? said United States Rocket Academy chairman Edward Wright. ?The Cub Carrier can be installed and removed quickly for frequent, low-cost flight opportunities.?

Citizens in Space, a project of the United States Rocket Academy, will fly the Lynx Cub Carrier on 10 Lynx missions beginning in late 2014 or early 2015. The Lynx Cub Carrier will also be made available to other XCOR customers, as ready-to-fly hardware or as an open-source hardware design.

?XCOR Aerospace is pleased to welcome the new Cub Carrier to the Lynx family,? said Khaki Rodway, XCOR Director of Payload Sales and Pperations. ?The Lynx Cub Carrier is an ideal platform for small materials-processing, fluid-physics, life-science, and engineering experiments. University teaching and research, K-12 education, citizen science, government and industrial R&D will all benefit from the convenient simple interfaces, rapid integration, and affordability of Lynx Cub experiments.?

The Lynx Cub Carrier is being developed by the United States Rocket Academy and the Space Engineering Research Center, part of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), with support from XCOR Aerospace. Design and fabrication are being done by Texas A&M faculty and students and TEES researchers.

?Lynx Cub payloads are based on the popular 1U, 2U, and 3U CubeSat form factors, which are de facto international standards for small scientific payloads,? said Chip Hill, Director of the Space Engineering Research Center. ?The payload carrier provides physical accommodations, electrical power, and limited thermal control for Lynx Cub experiments.?

The Lynx Cub Carrier will be flight-ready in September 2013 and will be included in the XCOR Lynx flight test program.

?For the test flights, we will load the Lynx Cub Carrier with payload simulators, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and environmental sensors,? Wright said. ?While XCOR is proving out the vehicle, we?ll be gathering baseline data on the thermal environment, the acoustical environment, acceleration, vibration, etc. ? data that will help guide experimenters in their payload design.?

?The Space Engineering Research Center has put together a first-class team for this development program,? Hill said. ?The involvement of Texas A&M industrial and systems engineering students as key team members, under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Yates and direction of technical lead Dr. Frank Little, provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with real space hardware.?

A&M student Cress Netherland said, ?Developing the Lynx Cub Carrier presents a challenging and unique problem. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to apply our studies to a real world application.?

The Space Engineering Research Center, part of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station in College Station, is also a member of XCOR?s global network of payload integrators, which provides value-added services for Lynx payload developers. TEES is an engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.

XCOR Aerospace, which is developing the suborbital, fully reusable Lynx spacecraft for a variety of scientific and commercial missions, is currently headquartered in Mojave, California. The company will relocate its headquarters to Midland, Texas later this year.

The United States Rocket Academy, a non-profit educational organization that studies and promotes the scientific, military, and commercial applications of human spaceflight, is also located in Texas. Citizens in Space is the United States Rocket Academy?s flagship program.

[DocM]

This weeks SpaceVidCast net space show has a few short stories the an interview with XCOR's COO.

Lynx I (dev platform) to fly this year. Lynx III with the sat launcher in 2-3 yrs flying from the US East coast, probably KSC. Lynx-like orbital system being worked on.

Hiring :) Looking for people that know Solid Works and build things - even if it's race cars (since they're making piston pumps for rockets.)

They claim their piston cryo fuel/oxidizer pump will work thousands of hours vs just minutes for turbopumps, and will be cheaper.

http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/interview-with-xcor039s-andrew-nelson-on-spacevidcast.html

[DocM]

XCOR has started a blog so we can follow their progress -

http://www.xcor.com/blog/?p=301

[DocM]

Frontal view of the updated Lynx aeroshell -

[DocM]

The last piece they were waiting for....

XCOR Aerospace Receives Lynx Mark I Cockpit

Vehicle Integration Commences

09 April 2014, Mojave, CA ? XCOR Aerospace announced today that the XCOR? Lynx? Mark I cockpit has been delivered. AdamWorks engineers, along with XCOR engineers, performed several successful pressure tests before it was packed and shipped to XCOR .

The cockpit is the principal major subassembly XCOR needs to begin assembly of the Lynx suborbital spaceplane. 

?The successful pressure testing of the Lynx cockpit and its delivery is a major milestone for us,? said XCOR Founder and CEO Jeff Greason. ?This will enable us to accelerate toward integration, ground testing and first flight over the rest of this year.?

Andrew Nelson, Chief Operating Officer of XCOR added, ?Our clients and partners are very happy to see this significant sign of progress.  I could not be more happy with our designers, engineers and team who have worked so hard on this major accomplishment. We are that much closer to suborbital operations.?

[HawkMan]

It's so ugly and looks like a WWII era spaceplane :)

[DocM]

Sometimes ugly works. Just look at the A-10.

[HawkMan]

I resent calling the A10 ugly, that thing is pure beauty

[DocM]

I say to our Dutch friends, welcome to NewSpace (y)

Press Release

CFIUS Approval Clears XCOR Aerospace?s First Close of Series B Financing

XCOR Raises $14.2 Million of Investment Capital Led by Dutch Investors

27 May 2014, Mojave, CA ? XCOR Aerospace announced today that the United States Treasury Department?s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) has approved the Series B lead investment by Dutch investors. The first closing of XCOR?s new round of finance issued $14.2 million of Series B preferred shares. XCOR will use the funds to bring the XCOR? Lynx? suborbital spaceplane to market.

The Series B financing was led by Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) of The Netherlands. Michiel Mol and Mark Hoogendoorn of SXC will join the current five members on the XCOR Board of Directors. The first round also included many existing and new investors including: board member Esther Dyson, Pete Ricketts (co-owner of the Chicago Cubs), and a number of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. A smaller second closing is scheduled over the summer.

The SXC investment in XCOR signals a strong commitment to the commercial space industry by the Dutch entity, which is also XCOR?s lead wet-lease customer and general sales agent.  Michiel Mol said, ?With this investment in XCOR, we?re closing ranks with our most strategic partner. We will take the next step together toward our first commercial spaceflight. I?m proud to become a part of this fantastically dedicated team of ?future makers? and game changers.?

Mark Hoogendoorn noted, ?Investing in XCOR is much more than investing in innovative technology and a team of highly skilled engineers. Most of all, it?s investing in a long term vision we strongly believe in that will enable a new era of sustainable and regular space access that will positively impact all mankind.?  

Jeff Greason, Founder and CEO of XCOR, said, "We are very pleased to have this first closing of the Series B and welcome Michiel and Mark to the Board. This investment will allow us to accelerate and run in parallel several final developments in the critical path to first flight."

"This first closing of the Series B is a signal to the market that XCOR is moving ahead with its plans for commercial service and that we are nearer to that goal," said Andrew Nelson, Chief Operating Officer of XCOR.  ?The Series B will remain open for a limited time as we complete discussions with a few more potential investors.?

Although SXC acquired a minority position without control provisions in XCOR, the company took the cautious route of submitting the investment to CFIUS for review prior to an official public announcement.  CFIUS agreed that no control provisions exist and that the investment is not a so-called ?covered transaction.?

[DocM]

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Also,

[DocM]

 

And XCOR will sell you a Lynx of your very own.

XCOR DEVELOPS LYNX SIMULATOR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PROTOBOX LLC AND AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB

November 16, Mojave, California  XCOR Aerospace announced today that it has completed work on its Lynx simulator system, built by Protobox LLC in conjunction with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

This simulator will provide XCOR invaluable training as the test pilot team prepares for Lynx flight test.

Dedicated aerodynamic modeling of the vehicle in the LAMARS (Large Amplitude Multi-Mode Aerospace Research Simulator) at AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) in Dayton, Ohio has provided XCOR with valuable insight into Lynx spacecraft performance and handling qualities. said XCOR Chief Executive Officer Jay Gibson. As a result, we contracted with Protobox to provide an in-house version of the simulator at XCORs Hangar 61, in Mojave, California.

AFRL-developed modeling and simulation software, including a Government Open Source Image Generation (IG) software package known as SubrScene, was integrated into a mockup Lynx cabin and nose at Hangar 61. Protobox provided integrated flight and engine controls, along with a representative pilots instrument panel. Four 80, high-resolution LCD screens that mimic the pilots expected field of view throughout the mission profile provide a 180 degree field of view. A control station behind the simulator can create many different flight scenarios. It also has the ability to alter a variety of vehicle performance parameters that will help train the crew in hypothetical emergency situations.

Besides validating the simulation model of the Lynx vehicle, writing operational procedures and performing flight test rehearsals, our pilots are giving feedback on the pilot vehicle interface (PVI) during their flights in the simulator. Through this, engineers can optimize the interface design based on true pilot insight and simulation experience.

The sim is a great asset and has awesome graphics, remarked XCOR Experimental Test Pilot Harry Van Hulten. I thought I was flying an F-16 test mission in the skies over Mojave and Edwards AFB again. This will significantly accelerate development of modelling and simulation and operational procedures.

XCORs Experimental Test pilot Harry Van Hulten in the Simulator

The simulator was made possible through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that allowed XCOR test pilots and engineers to utilize AFRLs unique simulator. The LAMARS is maintained and operated by the Aerospace Vehicles Technology Assessment & Simulation (AVTAS) Branch of AFRL. The day-to-day maintenance and operation of the LAMARS simulator is supported by Protobox LLC, which then built XCORs in-house version.

We look forward to further collaboration with AFRL, AVTAS and Protobox. This is just the beginning, Gibson noted.

[HawkMan]

I just can't take a plane that looks like a Lada car and with more panel lines on the cockpit windows than a early WWII bomber seriously. 

[DocM]

This is a spacecraft, not a WW-2 bomber. It has to re-enter from 68+ miles up at high supersonic velocities, so the glass has to have thermal protection capabilities - usually fused quartz. X-15 had flat fused quartz glass. So did SR-71. Shuttle? Yup. And others. 

The Lynx presure vessel windshield is curved polymer, which would melt during re-entry, but the thermal glass layer outside of it (with an insulating space) is in flat panels because that's far cheaper than curved thermal glass and it can take the heat. The cost difference is in the 6 figures.

That money is better spent elsewhere.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

XCOR appears to have found a "niche altitude" near/at the Karman Line (100 km). This would obviously be a prototype for a much larger unit in the future, as this size will not support itself in general revenue from a passenger and a few cube sats/ camera ride, since NewSpace is constantly driving prices down. Hope they have success in this venture...would be a great view up there and no shortage of paying customers.

I do have reservations of such a large surface area exposed to re-entry, particularly the control surfaces, but then, they are more than aware of this.

Space roadster.....

[Blue-Vision]

I just can't take a plane that looks like a Lada car and with more panel lines on the cockpit windows than a early WWII bomber seriously. 

Noooooooo! Not the RIVA! Anything but *that*!!

There's gotta be a law somewhere ...

[Draggendrop Veteran]

XCOR claims major breakthrough with its engine technology

 

The XR-5K18 Engines in Lynx configuration.

 

Quote

XCOR Director of Engineering and acting CTO Michael Valant announced that his team has reached an important milestone in the development of the reusable 5K18 Lynx main propulsion rocket engine. His engineers were able to 'close the loop' of the thermodynamic system under test conditions, a key technology for the Lynx sub-orbital vehicle.

 

This technology includes a novel method to drive essential engine parts using waste heat from the rocket engine, thus eliminating the need for adding large, heavy compressed gas tanks to the vehicle.

 

This propulsion system is an essential part of the Lynx "instant reusability" because it allows the vehicle to be flown multiple times per day without costly servicing of components. In addition, XCOR engine technology could be used to benefit other rocket-propelled vehicles in the same way.

 

Valant: "There's still some work to do to improve the cycle efficiency before this engine, that in its basic 'open cycle' form has already had hundreds of successful test firings, is ready for flight, but this is a massive step forward for us in the development of this truly groundbreaking technology.

 

"I'm genuinely proud of my teams for working so painstakingly to reach this goal."

 

Michael Valant, newly appointed acting CTO, has currently 20 years of experience in rocket propulsion system design and development. Since 2006, he has worked at XCOR to design and develop various propellant systems and components, to include rocket engines, valves and pumps for kerosene and liquid oxygen to fit the design requirements for the XCOR Lynx sub-orbital vehicle main propulsion system.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/XCOR_claims_major_breakthrough_with_its_engine_technology_999.html

 

[DocM]

Jeff Greason and another founder recently left XCOR to found Agile Aero, this startup geared to address the long development times in aerospace.

 

http://www.agile.aero/

 

Quote

 

Agile Aero, Inc. is a group of aviation and aerospace professionals with expertise in many aspects of advanced aerospace vehicle design, construction, and operations; rocket propulsion; and the regulatory environment for these activities. We will share that expertise with other companies working to open the space frontier.

 

Our focus is solving a challenge that has long faced the aerospace industry.  Many advanced aerospace projects falter because of the long development cycle for custom aerospace vehicles. Recent years have seen breakthroughs in the rapid development and the prototyping of rocket engines, satellites, and many subsystems for advanced vehicles – but integrated vehicles are still developed with traditional slow methods. Agile Aero is working to bring modern rapid prototyping to complete vehicles for space launch, hypersonic vehicles, and innovative aircraft.   Once we have that capability, we will offer short schedule vehicle prototyping services.

 

We also have an interest in advanced propulsion and energy systems that go beyond conventional chemical propulsion and can significantly lower vehicle cost for key missions and offer breakthrough improvements in performance.

 

Contact: [email protected]

 

 

[DocM]

Not Lynx, but a huge deal

 

XCOR AND ULA AWARDED US AIR FORCE PROPULSION CONTRACT

 

Midland TX, March 9, 2016, United Launch Alliance (ULA), the nation's premier launch services provider, has awarded XCOR Aerospace with a new contract through the United States Air Force to develop an upper stage propulsion system for Vulcan, ULA's next-generation launch system.

 

Jay Gibson, President XCOR: "We are very proud of our long and ongoing relationship with ULA, and very pleased ULA has chosen XCOR as a potential upper stage engine provider. We have already begun work on the 8H21 development, and are very excited about the long term potential for XCOR to support ULA and the United States Air Force in their evolving launch efforts."

 

XCOR's 8H21 LO2/LH2 engine (25k lbf thrust) is being developed for the upper stage propulsion for ULA's Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES). Since 2008 XCOR has been working closely with ULA on a subscale 2,500 lbf thrust liquid hydrogen engine, which was successfully built and tested in 2015.

 

In 2016, XCOR began development on the full scale 25k lbf thrust liquid hydrogen engine, the 8H21, under a privately funded contract with ULA. This partnership with the Air Force will further support this engine development.

The 8H21 is a liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen rocket engine that uses XCOR's proprietary piston pumps and other unique rocket engine components to deliver a low cost solution for easier access to space. The 8H21 also uses the same technology that XCOR has been developing for their own reusable engine programs, designed with forward capabilities in mind for future reusable engine development programs.

 

[DocM]

 

 

Edited April 8, 2016 by DocM

[DocM]

Sad....Should have seen this coming when Jeff Greason left to create Aero, Inc.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2016 by DocM