Rocketplane XP

Short description: Suborbital space plane design

General information
National origin| United States
Manufacturer| Rocketplane Kistler
Number built| 0

The Rocketplane XP was a suborbital spaceplane design that was under development c. 2005 by Rocketplane Kistler. The vehicle was to be powered by two jet engines and a rocket engine, intended to enable it to reach suborbital space. The XP would have operated from existing spaceports in a manner consistent with established commercial aviation practices. Commercial flights were projected to begin in 2009.[1] Rocketplane Global declared bankruptcy in mid-June 2010.[2] Their assets were auctioned off in 2011.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Design and development
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Design and development

A Mockup of the Rocketplane XP alongside SpaceshipOne

As envisioned, the Rocketplane XP would carry a pilot and five passengers on a flight profile from a runway using jet engines like a conventional aircraft. It would then climb to about 12 km (40,000 feet). At this point, a reusable rocket engine would power the XP on a suborbital trajectory reaching altitudes of over 100 km (62 mi) after burnout. The XP was to then reenter Earth's atmosphere and land at the same spaceport under conventional jet power. The relatively low speeds involved meant that heat shielding was not a major concern. The XP was expected to operate from the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark near Burns Flat, Oklahoma.

On January 24, 2006 Rocketplane Limited announced a Space Act agreement with NASA Johnson Space Center for the loan of a Rocketdyne RS-88 rocket engine for three years, for use in flight tests of the XP vehicle.[4]

## See also

* EADS Astrium Space Tourism Project
* Lynx (spacecraft)
* Dream Chaser
* SpaceShipTwo
* Blue Origin New Shepard

## References

Notes

1. ↑ "Popsci article (Up and Away) - April 2007". http://www.popsci.com/archive-viewer?id=apqd0YXTtkMC&pg=33.
2. ↑ Foust, Jeff. "The gap in NewSpace business plans." The Space Review, July 12, 2010. Retrieved: July 17, 2010.
3. ↑ "Rocketplane Kistler assets are being auctioned - NASA Watch". 3 October 2011. http://nasawatch.com/archives/2011/10/rocketplane-kis.html.
4. ↑ "Small steps forward for NewSpace". The Space Review. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/609/1.

Bibliography

* Belfiore, Michael. "It's a Rocket! It's a Plane! It's...Rocket Plane!" Popular Science, January 8, 2006.
* "Model XP Specifications." Rocketplane XP, February 21, 2011.

## External links

* Rocketplane official website
* astronautix.com
* Video animation - Rocketplane XP concept

* v
* t
* e

Spaceplanes

Canada|

| Canceled|

* Wild Fire

|

China|

| Canceled|

* Project 921-3

|

In development|

* Shenlong

Europe|

| Canceled|

* Hermes
* Hopper

|

Historical|

* IXV

In development|

* Airbus Defence and Space Spaceplane
* Space Rider

France|

| Canceled|

* ARES
* Astrobus

|

Germany|

| Canceled|

* Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace RLV
* Sänger-Bredt RaBo
* MBB Raumtransporter-8
* MBB Sänger II
* MBB Deutsche Aerospace HORUS
* Falke
* Silbervogel

|

In development|

* SpaceLiner

India|

| Canceled|

* AVATAR

|

In development|

* RLV-TD
* Hypersonic Flight Experiment

Japan|

| Historical|

* HYFLEX/OREX/ALFLEX

|

Canceled|

* Yamato
* HIMES
* HOPE-X

In development|

* WIRES

Romania|

| Canceled|

* Orizont

|

Russia|

| Canceled|

* Explorer
* Kliper
* MAKS (Molniya)
* RAKS (Tu-444/2000)

|

Soviet Union|

| Historical|

* Buran (programme)
* BOR-4
* BOR-5

|

Canceled|

* Keldysh bomber
* Lapotok
* Zvezda (Tu-136/139)
* Kosmolyot (LKS)
* Uragan
* Spiral

Switzerland|

| Cancelled|

* S3 SOAR

|

United Kingdom|

| Canceled|

* Bristol Ascender, Spacebus, Spacecab
* HOTOL
* HOTOL-2
* MUSTARD

|

In development|

* Skylon

United States|

| Active|

* Boeing X-37 (tech dem)

|

Historical|

* North American X-15
* ASSET
* Martin X-23 PRIME
* SpaceShipOne
* Space Shuttle (program, Shuttle–Mir Program)

Canceled|

* Chrysler SERV
* DARPA Falcon Project
* Martin Marietta Spacemaster
* X-20 Dyna-Soar
* Orbital Sciences X-34
* Rockwell X-30 (NASP)
* NASA X-43
* Silver Dart
* HL-20
* HL-42
* Rocketplane XP
* VentureStar
* Black Horse
* NASA X-38 (Spacewedge)
* XCOR Lynx
* Xerus
* Prometheus
* SpaceShipThree

In development|

* Dream Chaser
* SpaceShipTwo
* DARPA XS-1

Black projects|

* Blackstar
* TR-3A Black Manta
* TAW-50
* X-41 Common Aero Vehicle
* Aurora aircraft
* Military flying saucers

* v
* t
* e

Space tourism

Companies|

| Active|

* Bigelow Aerospace
* Blue Origin
* Airbus D&S
* Mojave Aerospace Ventures
* Orbital Technologies
* Orion Span
* PDAS
* Sierra Nevada Corporation
* Space Adventures
* The Spaceship Company
* SpaceX
* #dearMoon project
* Virgin Galactic

|

Defunct|

* Armadillo Aerospace
* Golden Spike Company
* RocketShip Tours
* Space Island Group (Space Island Project)
* XCOR Aerospace

Organizations|

* ARCA
* Association of Autonomous Astronauts
* Astronaute Club Européen
* Commercial Spaceflight Federation
* Copenhagen Suborbitals
* Space Frontier Foundation
* Space Tourism Society

Spacecraft|

* Current
* Soyuz
* Future
* Boeing CST-100 Starliner
* Dragon 2
* New Glenn
* New Shepard
* SpaceShipTwo
* Starship

Living in space|

* Commercialization of space
* Space colonization
* Space habitat
* Space medicine
* Space station
* Suborbital spaceplane

Space competitions|

* America's Space Prize
* Ansari X Prize
* Google Lunar X Prize
* Space elevator competitions

Space tourists|

* Dennis Tito
* Mark Shuttleworth
* Gregory Olsen
* Anousheh Ansari
* Charles Simonyi
* Richard Garriott
* Guy Laliberté
* Yusaku Maezawa (planned)

* Tourism on the Moon

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