XCOR Aerospace

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XCOR Aerospace
legal form Private
founding September 1999
resolution November 2017
Seat Mojave Spaceport , Mojave, California and Midland, Texas
management Jay Gibson
Number of employees 40
Branch Aviation , space travel , space tourism

XCOR Aerospace was an American, privately owned rocket propulsion and spacecraft developer based at Mojave Spaceport in Mojave , California .

history

XCOR was founded in September 1999 by four employees of the rocket manufacturer Rotary Rocket in Mojave: Jeff Greason, Doug Jones, Dan DeLong and Aleta Jackson. The first CEO was Jeff Greason . In July 2012 the headquarters were relocated to Midland , Texas . XCOR considered, among other places u. a. to move to Spaceport Colorado . Ultimately, the choice fell on Midland, as the city government and the Midland Development Corporation lured with financial support of up to 10 million US dollars. Jay Gibson was appointed as the new CEO in March 2015 , Greason and DelOng left the company in November 2015.

In May 2016, XCOR laid off its employees and registered Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017.

Projects

The prototype of the Rocket Racer , based on the Velocity SE on October 29, 2007 on its first flight on the Mojave Spaceport
The Rocket Racer taxiing out after landing.
Rear view of the Rocket Racer .

Completed Projects

XCOR has dealt with rocket-powered aircraft from the start:

  • EZ-Rocket : A Rutan Long-EZ equipped with 1.8 kN rocket drives that replace the conventional propeller drives. The aircraft has also been shown several times at air shows, including a. at the 2005 Oshkosh Airshow . EZ-Rocket was the world's first privately built and flown rocket aircraft.
  • Rocket Racer : The EZ Rocket program led to a second model designed for the Rocket Racing League . It is based on the Airframe of a Velocity SE and was also known as the Mark-I X-Racer. It was powered by a self-developed engine. It is the XR-4K14 engine . This aircraft made various demonstration flights on the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2008 . The thrust of the single engine is said to have been between 6.7 kN and 8 kN. That would be twice as much as with the EZ-Rocket. The engine burns liquid oxygen and kerosene . This combination allows easy storage in the wing tanks. After testing, which was completed in 2008, XCOR was able to complete seven flights in one day by plane.
  • Tea cart engine : A 67N steering engine that uses nitrous oxide and ethane . It is mounted on a mobile frame and has often been started indoors for demonstration purposes and has over 1837 ignitions and 9039 s total running time.
  • Test of LOX / methane rocket engines in 2005.
  • Earlier work on LOX / methane thrusters led to a contract with NASA, together with ATK, a 33 kN strong engine for possible use as a return engine for the Orion CEV moon lander. On January 16, 2007, XCOR announced that it had tested a fully functional previous version.

Lynx

Lynx is a suborbital rocket aircraft that is designed to bring the pilot and payload to an altitude of over 100 km. Between 20 and 50 test flights as well as numerous static engine tests on the ground are planned. A full program of taxi tests, take-off tests and full take-offs is planned to make the aircraft fully operational. Lynx is the size of a small private airplane. Thanks to its reusable, non-toxic engines, it should be able to start several times a day in order to keep operating costs low. Lynx replaces a previous design, the Xerus spaceplane. The development of Lynx was announced on March 26th, 2008 with the aim of developing an airworthy vehicle within two years. This date has been postponed several times, first to spring 2012, then to 2013 and finally to 2015. The Mark II model is expected to fly nine to 18 months after the Mark I prototype, depending on how quickly the test program can be completed.

XCOR Aerospace has already pre-sold 175 Lynx flights for $ 95,000 each.

Nonburnite

XCOR has developed Nonburnite, a cryocompatible, inherently non-combustible composite material based on thermoplastic fluoropolymer resin . A low temperature coefficient and built-in suppression of microcracks make it a suitable material for cryogenic tanks and for the construction of the spacecraft itself.

Joint development of an LH2-operated upper level with ULA

In March 2011, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced that they had entered into a contract with XCOR for the joint development of an airworthy upper stage engine. This is to be developed cryogenic with LH2 and LOX. Based on positive attempts to develop a new aluminum alloy engine nozzle using innovative manufacturing processes, ULA believes that the new engine can be built several hundred kilograms lighter and result in lower costs and higher payloads for private and public space travel.

The main objective of the development is the production of an engine with a thrust of 110 to 130 kN, which has significantly lower production costs and is easier to operate and integrate than comparable engines.

The first tests took place on March 22, 2011 and used the LOX kerosene engine 5K18 intended for Lynx. The engine-nozzle combination demonstrated the ability of the aluminum nozzle to withstand the high temperatures in several test runs without any visible wear or changes in the material properties. The tests confirmed the design, choice of materials and manufacturing processes of the nozzle and are the basis for enlarging the existing design.

The duration of the development program will depend on the level of investment required to achieve the goals set within the framework of XCOR's “ build-a-little, test-a-little ” principle. If investments were reduced, the engine would not be ready for five to ten years.


Individual evidence

  1. ^ New Area 51: Mojave's Desert Outpost Holds Space Flight's Future. PopularMechanics.com, August 2008 ( October 19, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Kathleen Petty: A look at XCOR. Midland Reporter Telegram, July 7, 2012, accessed November 24, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Jeff Greason. Co-founder and CEO of XCOR Aerospace. NASA, June 4, 2009, accessed November 24, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Kathleen Petty: Midland, Texas ideal destinations for aviation industry, officials say, "a $ 10 million economic development deal." mywesttexas.com, July 9, 2012, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Mark Carreau: XCOR Selects West Texas For Suborbital, Orbital R&D Hub. Aviation Week, July 10, 2012, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  6. ^ PR Newswire: XCOR Aerospace Announces Jay Gibson As New Chief Executive Officer. March 16, 2015, accessed November 24, 2015 .
  7. ↑ XCOR: Founders Stepping Back Marks New Phase in XCOR Lynx Development. November 23, 2015, accessed November 24, 2015 .
  8. ^ Jeff Foust: XCOR Aerospace files for bankruptcy. Retrieved November 30, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Doug Messier: XCOR Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Retrieved November 30, 2018 .
  10. ↑ XCOR To Fly EZ-Rocket At X Prize Cup Countdown. Space Daily, August 19, 2005, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  11. ^ A b c Kathleen Petty: A look at XCOR. Midland Reporter-Telegram, July 7, 2012, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  12. ↑ a b Products Overview. XCOR Aerospace, archived from the original on November 25, 2010 ; accessed on April 17, 2013 (English): "" Twin 400 lb-thrust XR-4A3 engines aboard the EZ-Rocket " (with in-flight photograph) ... " Another engine that we have developed in parallel is the XR- 4K14, ... a 1,500 lb thrust regeneratively cooled LOX and pump-fed kerosene system ... used as the Rocket Racer aircraft's main engine. ""
  13. ^ Nancy Atkinson: XCOR X-Racer. Universe Today, August 6, 2009, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  14. ↑ Michael Belfiore: X-Racers, Start Your Rockets! : The creators of the X prize offer a sensational vision of rocket-powered airplanes speeding through the sky. But can their new racing league steal a bit of Nascar's thunder? Popular Science, February 15, 2006, accessed April 17, 2013 .
  15. ^ Allison Gatlin: XCOR performance tested. Antelope Valley Press, July 11, 2008, archived from the original July 15, 2009 ; Retrieved April 17, 2013 .
  16. ↑ XCOR Aerospace - 15 lb-thrust nitrous oxide / ethane rocket engine. XCOR Aerospace, February 25, 2005, archived from the original on May 9, 2013 ; accessed on April 17, 2013 .
  17. ↑ XCOR: XCOR Aerospace Completes Successful Development of Methane Rocket Engine. August 30, 2005, accessed October 12, 2015 (copy of an XCOR press release).
  18. ↑ XCOR Aerospace Begins Test Firing of Methane Rocket Engine. XCOR Aerospace, January 16, 2007, archived from the original on February 4, 2012 ; accessed on April 17, 2013 .
  19. ↑ a b c XCOR: XCOR AEROSPACE suborbital vehicle to fly within two years. March 26, 2008, archived from the original on February 18, 2016 ; accessed on October 12, 2015 .
  20. ↑ Countdown has begun for SXC ( Memento from December 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ↑ XCOR announces Lynx premiere for 2015. Raumfahrer.net, December 8, 2014, accessed on December 27, 2014 (German).
  22. ↑ XCOR Aerospace: Cyro Compatible Fluoropolymer Composite Material. XCOR Aerospace, archived from the original on April 3, 2013 ; accessed on April 17, 2013 .
  23. ↑ XCOR and ULA Demonstrate Revolutionary Rocket Engine Nozzle Technology - also sign contract for Liquid Hydrogen Engine Development. ULA, March 17, 2011, accessed October 9, 2015 .
  24. ↑ a b http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/awx/2011/03/22/awx_03_22_2011_p0-299850.xml&headline=ULA, XCOR to Develop Upper-Stage Engine & channel = space (Link not available) | quote = United Launch Alliance (ULA) and XCOR Aerospace are planning a joint effort to develop a low-cost upper-stage engine in the same class as the venerable RL-10, using technology XCOR is developing for its planned Lynx suborbital spaceplane. The two companies have been testing actively cooled aluminum nozzles XCOR is developing for its liquid oxygen / kerosene 5K18 engine for the Lynx, a reusable two-seat piloted vehicle the company plans to use for commercial research and tourist flights.
  25. ↑ XCOR and ULA Demonstrate Revolutionary Rocket Engine Nozzle Technology; Also Sign Contract for Liquid Hydrogen Engine Development. In: press release. XCOR Aerospace, March 22, 2011, archived from the original on March 25, 2011 ; accessed on April 17, 2013 .