development of reusable rocket engines, in pursuit of which they previously developed and flew the EZ-Rocket airplane as a demonstrator and test bed for their reusable rocket technology. Much of the engineering team previously worked on the propulsion systems of Roton at the former Rotary Rocket company.
The Alpha Project is a fully reusable two stage vehicle proposed by World Aerospace, Inc. The upper stage, dubbed the Alpha CX-1A SRV (Space Reusable Vehicle) is a three-person spaceplane designed to take one pilot and two mission specialists into space. Intended to use off-the-shelf technology where possible, the CX-1A may also be launched from the ground as a suborbital spacecraft.
Interestingly, three potential configurations for the lower stage (or launch vehicle) are being proposed as development proceeds:
The first is an Air Launched Horizontal Landing (ALHL) solid rocket booster RLV derived from the Pegasus by Orbital Sciences Corporation. This vehicle will carry the CX-1A upper stage for the flight test phase.
The second is a HTOL liquid rocket flyback booster RLV. This vehicle will carry the CX-1A in the piggyback configuration and is ultimately expected to evolve into the final RLV lower stage as the design matures.
The third is a VTOL rocket booster option. In this configuration the CX-1A will be launched atop currently available commercial launch vehicles such as the Boeing Delta IV-M EELV, the LMCO Atlas V 500, and an RLV based on the Thor (a former USAF ICBM)
An innovative HTOL design by Mitchell Clapp using in-flight refuelling of a single-stage vehicle to enable it to reach orbit. Taking off with almost no liquid oxygen in its tanks, it can then effectively "take off" with full tanks at high altitude. The upper stage of a 2-stage vehicle is limited to a mass of about 100 tons, whereas Black Horse could have a fully-fuelled mass several times this. Air forces use in-flight refuelling routinely and have accumulated enormous experience, so safety should not be a problem. Currently being pushed by the company Rocketplane Inc. (formerly Pioneer Rocketplane)..
A concept for a series of VTOL vehicles leading up to a passenger-carrying version. Currently Kistler Aerospace Corporation is developing a 2-stage VTOL launch vehicle for small satellites.
In 1997 Kistler Aerospace moved to Australia and will start launching from Woomera.
Thunderbird is a low cost fully reusable VTOL rocket from UK based Starchaser Industries, which has an established track record in unmanned rocketry. It is an X-Prize contender, and is designed to carry three people on a short sub-orbital pleasure flights into space.
The vehicle uses existing off-the-shelf components wherever possible to minimize development cost, combined with an advanced composite for the airframe. The primary propulsion is provided by LOX/kerosene engines which carry the vehicle to a maximum altitude of 100km after burnout before re-entering tail-first using a steerable parasail. Reaction control is handled independantly by cold gas thrusters.
The Thunderbird is a single stage vehicle, but composed of two discreet and seperable units: a command module, which includes the cabin, life support, and reaction control system, and a propulsion module comprising the fuel tanks, engines, and landing gear. In an emergency the command module is detachable from the rest of the vehicle, allowing the crew to bebrought down independently.
Nova is a scaled down version of Thunderbird designed to bridge the gap between previously flown unmanned rockets and Thunderbird, and is currently in construction. Standing at roughly 2/3rds of the height of its 52 foot larger sibling, Nova is designed to carry a single person into space, to a maximum altitude of approximately 100km. Although not an X-Prize contender due to its less than three person capacity, Nova is intended to be the world's first privately developed spaceship.
Fully reusable VTOHL first stage launch vehicle for boosting a range of upper stages to orbit. Based on the Ukrainian-built " Zenit" rocket using kerosene and LOX engin