Reusable Launch Vehicles

An experimental reusable rocket developed to test technology for the next-generation U.S. space shuttle fleet exploded during a test flight at White Sands Missile Range, NASA officials said. The Delta Graham, part of a $50-million NASA program to develop new rocket components, caught fire and exploded after two of its four landing gear malfunctioned as the craft eased back to a landing pad following a brief flight.

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s assembly of a next-generation space shuttle has stumbled on yet another technical snafu, potentially delaying the prototype's first test flight an additional six months or more, sources said. Development of the X-33 rocket plane, which is overseen by Lockheed Martin's Palmdale plant, suffered the latest setback Wednesday night as a critical component underwent testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s assembly of a next-generation space shuttle has stumbled on yet another technical snafu, potentially delaying the prototype's first test flight an additional six months or more, sources said. Development of the X-33 rocket plane, which is overseen by Lockheed Martin's Palmdale plant, suffered the latest setback Wednesday night as a critical component underwent testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Northrop Grumman said Thursday that it has taken a $30-million equity stake in Kistler Aerospace, the start-up company that aims to build a fleet of reusable launch vehicles to ferry satellites and other payloads into orbit. Northrop also said it would invest an additional $30 million in cash-strapped Kistler if the company proves it has the financial wherewithal to proceed with its first test launch, scheduled for early next year.

Boeing has fallen seven months behind schedule and is facing mounting costs on its revolutionary engine for the X-33 rocket plane, an experimental vehicle at the heart of NASA's effort to develop a low-cost reusable space launcher, the government disclosed Tuesday. The setback was caused by technical difficulties in bonding key high-temperature engine parts at Boeing's Rocketdyne facility in Canoga Park, where the X-33's novel linear aerospike engine is being built.

Northrop Grumman said Thursday that it has taken a $30-million equity stake in Kistler Aerospace, the start-up company that aims to build a fleet of reusable launch vehicles to ferry satellites and other payloads into orbit. Northrop also said it would invest an additional $30 million in cash-strapped Kistler if the company proves it has the financial wherewithal to proceed with its first test launch, scheduled for early next year.

Boeing Co. and NASA reached agreement on a $173-million contract to jointly develop an experimental space plane, called the X-37, that will serve as a test bed for new technologies for reusable launch vehicles. NASA is pushing development of reusable space vehicles, including the suborbital X-33 shuttle, as key to its goal of reducing the cost of placing space vehicles and cargo into orbit.

The summer was anything but a vacation for Kistler Aerospace, the 4-year-old start-up that is building a fleet of reusable launch vehicles to ferry satellites and other payloads into low Earth orbit. Kistler's K-1 is a two-stage launch vehicle, and both stages will contain special rockets and parachutes to guide the pieces back to Earth for reuse.

A prototype reusable rocket, intended as a forerunner of the space shuttle's eventual replacement, briefly burst into flames Saturday after completing its first flight. Damage was superficial and the flight was a success, said officials for the Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced rocket program.

Boeing has fallen seven months behind schedule and is facing mounting costs on its revolutionary engine for the X-33 rocket plane, an experimental vehicle at the heart of NASA's effort to develop a low-cost reusable space launcher, the government disclosed Tuesday. The setback was caused by technical difficulties in bonding key high-temperature engine parts at Boeing's Rocketdyne facility in Canoga Park, where the X-33's novel linear aerospike engine is being built.

An experimental reusable rocket developed to test technology for the next-generation U.S. space shuttle fleet exploded during a test flight at White Sands Missile Range, NASA officials said. The Delta Graham, part of a $50-million NASA program to develop new rocket components, caught fire and exploded after two of its four landing gear malfunctioned as the craft eased back to a landing pad following a brief flight.

McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s aerospace group in Huntington Beach was one of four companies chosen Thursday by the Air Force to develop a new generation of low-cost rockets for launching military and commercial space satellites. The other participants are Boeing Co.'s Defense and Space Group in Seattle, Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Astronautics division in Denver and Alliant Techsystems' rocket group in Magna, Utah.