X-41 Common Aero Vehicle
| X-41 Common Aero Vehicle | |
|---|---|
| Role | Experimental manoeuvring re-entry vehicle |
| National origin | USA |
| Status | Experimental research programme |
| Primary user | DARPA |
Initiated in 2003, X-41 is the designation for a still-classified U.S. military spaceplane. Specifications or photos of the program have not been released to the public yet; as a result not much is known about its goals. It has been described as an experimental manoeuvring re-entry vehicle capable of transporting a 1,000 lb payload on a sub-orbital trajectory at hypersonic speeds and releasing that payload into the atmosphere. The technology required for the X-41 is not yet known and is still undecided by the government. It is believed a new type of hypersonic travel is also being studied for the X-41 that will apparently be able to travel past Mach 7 and perhaps onto Mach 9.
This vehicle is now a part of the FALCON (Force Application and Launch from Continental United States) program sponsored by DARPA and NASA.
External links
- GlobalSecurity.org: X-41
- Spacedaily.com: CAV
- Designation-Systems.net: X-41 CAV
- Pentagon Has Far-Reaching Defense Spacecraft in Works, Washington Post, March 16, 2005
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