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Stratolaunch Systems

Coordinates: 35°02′53.6064″N 118°08′31.9524″W / 35.048224000°N 118.142209000°W / 35.048224000; -118.142209000
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35°02′53.6064″N 118°08′31.9524″W / 35.048224000°N 118.142209000°W / 35.048224000; -118.142209000

Stratolaunch Systems
Company typePrivate
IndustryAerospace
Founded2011
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington
Key people
Paul Allen
Jean Floyd (CEO)
Number of employees
21 (2019) Edit this on Wikidata
ParentVulcan Inc.[1]
Websitestratolaunchsystems.com

Stratolaunch Systems Corporation is an American space transportation venture developing a new air launch to orbit system, with its corporate headquarters located in Seattle, Washington.[2][3] The project was officially announced in December 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, who had previously collaborated on the creation of SpaceShipOne.[4]

The project is a mobile launch system with three primary components; a carrier aircraft being built by Scaled Composites (called the Stratolaunch), a multi-stage payload "launch vehicle" which would be launched at high altitude into space from under the carrier aircraft, plus a mating and integration system by Dynetics.[5]

On April 13, 2019 the first flight of the airplane occurred.[6]

History

The project was started in 2010, almost a year before the public announcement was made. Development costs were initially projected to be US $300 million in 2011.[7] Dynetics actually began work in early 2010 and had approximately 40 employees working on the project as of December 2011. Dynetics was cited as "responsible for the total systems engineering, integration and testing, which includes aerodynamics, loads, and interfaces".[8] It was announced in 2011 that SpaceX was also already working on the design for the rocket-powered space vehicle components of the system, the Falcon 9 Air.

The collaboration with SpaceX had ended by 2012. In a 2015 interview, former president Chuck Beames (2014–2016) explained, "SpaceX was a partner, and like a lot of partnerships, it was just determined that it was best we went our separate ways – different ambitions. We were interested in their engines, but Elon and his team, they're about going to Mars, and we're just in a different place, and so I think it was a parting of the ways that was amicable".[9]

Stratolaunch Systems completed its first 8,200 m2 (88,000 sq ft) composites production building in October 2012. In February 2013, the company completed construction of its 8,607 m2 (92,640 sq ft) carrier assembly hangar and operations facilities at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

The carrier aircraft was originally projected to make its first test flight in 2015. By October 2013, the first flight of the carrier aircraft had been pushed back until 2018 at the earliest, with the first flight of the air-launched rocket expected at the earliest 2019.[10]

In 2014, Stratolaunch announced that it was considering multiple launch vehicle options over a range of satellite sizes, and that some development work on the Orbital launch vehicle has been slowed down to focus on completion of the carrier aircraft.[11]

In 2015 Stratolaunch Systems was placed under the supervision of Paul Allen's new aerospace company Vulcan Aerospace,[12][13] a subsidiary of Vulcan, Inc. Beames stated, "Vulcan Aerospace is the company within Vulcan that plans and executes projects to shift how the world conceptualizes space travel through cost reduction and on‐demand access. Vulcan Aerospace has its heritage in SpaceShipOne and oversees the Stratolaunch Systems project"[14] Later in the year, in November, Gary Wentz "stepped down as president and CEO of Stratolaunch Systems to join United Launch Alliance to lead human launch services" for ULA. Vulcan ended its contract with Orbital ATK in mid-2015 and indicated that a decision on a new rocket for the Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft would be made in late 2015.[15]

In 2017, Fast Company named the Stratolaunch one of the world's most innovative companies citing the air-launch system's potential convenience.[citation needed] In April 2017, Stratolaunch formally transitioned its name from Vulcan Aerospace to Stratolaunch Systems Corporation.[3]

In May 2017, the Stratolaunch was rolled out for the first time to begin fueling tests, the first of many ground tests.[16]

In December 2017, the Stratolaunch was rolled out for the first taxi test on the runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.[17][needs update]

In January 2019, Stratolaunch announced it was halting development of its own air-launched family of launch vehicles. This followed the death of Stratolaunch founder Paul Allen in October 2018, who had been the source of funds for the capital intensive development program since its founding in 2011.[18]

On April 13, 2019 the first flight was taken.[19]

Carrier aircraft

Wingspan comparison of the Stratolaunch carrier with other large airplanes
Main article: Scaled Composites Stratolaunch

Allen and Rutan stated that Stratolaunch's carrier aircraft would have a wingspan of 117 m (385 ft) or about 6.1 m (20 ft) wider than the length of an Apollo-era Saturn V and about half as long as the Hindenburg class airships. This would make it the largest airplane, by wingspan, ever to fly. It will weigh in at over 540,000 kg (1,200,000 lb) including the fully fueled launch vehicle and will require a runway at least 3,700 m (12,000 ft) long. It can carry over 230,000 kg (500,000 lb) of payload.[16]

The carrier plane will be powered by six Pratt & Whitney PW4000, 205–296 kN (46,000–66,500 lbf) thrust-range jet engines, sourced from two used 747-400s that were cannibalized for engines, avionics, flight deck, landing gear and other proven systems to reduce initial development costs. The carrier is designed to have a range of 2,200 km (1,200 nmi) when flying an air launch mission.

In August 2015, Vulcan Aerospace then president Chuck Beames said, "In 2016, I think, we'll have the aircraft flying... 80 percent is fabricated now... about 40 percent assembled... we should have final assembly done the end of this year or early next year. For the next few years, we'll do all of our test flights out of Mojave... There's already an air corridor that's established by the Air Force for this kind of stuff anyway, and we'll fly out over the Pacific".[9]

In the event, the first Stratolaunch carrier aircraft was not towed out of the Stratolaunch Mojave building to start ground testing until May 2017, at which time the company suggested they were planning for a first "launch demonstration" in 2019.[20]

Over the course of 2018, the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft performed taxi tests of increasing speed at the Mojave airport.[21][22]

On January 9, 2019, the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft completed a 110 knot (219 km/h) taxi test, and released an accompanying photo of the nose landing gear lifted off the ground during the test. [23][24]

The maiden flight was on Sat 13 April 2019: the aircraft reached a maximum height of 15,000 feet. [25]

Launch vehicle

Launch rocket

Originally SpaceX was intended to provide a liquid-fueled rocket to serve as the means of lifting the Stratolaunch payload delivery vehicle into space by launching it at high altitude from under the carrier aircraft, but collaboration with SpaceX was abandoned in late 2012.[26]

In November 2012, Stratolaunch retained Orbital ATK on a "study contract" to develop and evaluate "several alternative configurations" for the vehicle to be launched from the carrier aircraft.[27]

By early 2013, Orbital ATK was under contract to develop the Pegasus II for the Stratolaunch space vehicle launch component: The Pegasus II was expected to be able to deliver up to 6,100 kilograms (13,500 lb) to low Earth orbit.[28]

In May 2014, it was announced that the Pegasus II solid-fuel rocket was not achieving design economic goals and that Stratolaunch had contracted with Aerojet Rocketdyne to build the RL10C-1 dual-motor liquid fuel engines for the launch vehicle.[29]

In October 2016, it was announced that "multiple" Pegasus XL rockets would be used by Stratolaunch.[30]

It was announced on September 13, 2017 that Stratolaunch had signed an agreement with NASA to providing testing services to support propulsion for a vehicle. It was noted that Stratolaunch hired Jeff Thornburg as vice president of propulsion. Thornberg had worked both on the J-2X engine for NASA and helped develop the Raptor rocket engine at SpaceX. The implication is Stratolaunch has decided to go its own way in developing a launch vehicle. The NASA agreement stated that Stratolaunch plans to deliver the test device for "testing of its propulsion system test article element 1" at NASA's Stennis E1 test stand by the end of May 2018. The test series is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.[31]

On November 2, 2018, Stratolaunch completed the first hot-fire test of the "pre-burner" portion of its engine at NASA's Stennis Space Center.[32][33]

All Stratolaunch development work on its own family of launch vehicles ended in January 2019, but the company continues to plan to launch the Pegasus XL rocket from the carrier aircraft.[18]

Spaceplanes

Manned Dream Chaser study

Main article: Dream Chaser

Shortly after losing a NASA contract competition to SpaceX and Boeing in September 2014,[34] Sierra Nevada Corporation announced it had conceptualized a launch system that combined a scaled-down version of the company's Dream Chaser space plane with the Stratolaunch Systems high altitude air-launch system.[35]

In late November 2014, Vulcan Aerospace released the results of the SNC/Stratolaunch space transportation architecture, which indicated that a reduced-size Dream Chaser in conjunction with the Stratolaunch-based launch system could provide a number of unique mission capabilities. The proposed system would have an outbound range of 1,900 kilometers; 1,200 miles (1,000 nmi) away from the airport where the aircraft departed, which would allow launches to any given orbital plane for rendezvous with another object in low Earth orbit on a daily basis. The launch vehicle in the study was a modified air-launched Orbital ATK rocket that is approximately 37 m (120 ft) in length. The manned space plane payload would be a 75-percent sized version of the Dream Chaser vehicle previously proposed to NASA—while maintaining the relative outer mold line-6.9 m (22.5 ft) in length with a wingspan of 5.5 m (18.2 ft), which could carry 2 to 3 crewmembers plus a variety of scientific and research payloads.[36]

Black Ice

An internal Stratolaunch concept, the Black Ice spaceplane was revealed in early 2018, as a possible payload for the Stratolaunch system. It would be a fully reusable rocketplane the size of the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter, and initially be unmanned, with possible future manned variant.[37] It was not built.

Facilities

In 2011, Stratolaunch Systems signed a 20-year lease agreement with the Kern County Airport Authority, Mojave, California, for the lease of 81,000 m2 (20 acres) at the Mojave Air and Space Port to build production and launch facilities.[38]

As of 2015, Stratolaunch has built a 8,200 m2 (88,000 sq ft) fabrication hangar and a 8,607 m2 (92,640 sq ft) assembly hangar located close to Scaled Composites.[39] The first of two manufacturing buildings, the "88,000 square foot facility [to] be used to construct the composite sections of the wing and fuselage sections", was opened for production in October 2012, two months ahead of schedule and on budget.[40][41] Stratolaunch completed their second Mojave building, the very large hangar facility for the Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft, in February 2013.[42]

On May 31, 2017 the first Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft was towed out of the Stratolaunch Mojave building to start ground testing.[20][43] The plan As of 2017 was to have the first launch in 2019.[44]

On the 13th April 2019, the Stratolauncher flew for the first time over the skies of the Mojave desert.[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mecham, Michael; Frank Morring, Jr. (December 20, 2011). "Allen Places Big Bet On Air Launches". Aviation Week. Retrieved December 23, 2011. Dynetics has been under contract to Vulcan for almost a year and has some 40 employees on the project so far. SpaceX joined more recently, and the overall team is still working through details of how to progress toward its 2016 first launch.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Stratolaunch". www.stratolaunch.com. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Paul Allen's Vulcan Aerospace is now Stratolaunch, with a redesigned website". GeekWire. April 1, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "Revolutionary Air-Launched Commercial Rocket to Orbit Announced by Microsoft Billionaire Paul Allen - Universe Today". December 14, 2011.
  5. ^ "Welcome huntsvillenewswire.com - BlueHost.com". www.huntsvillenewswire.com.
  6. ^ O'Kane, Sean (April 13, 2019). "World's biggest airplane takes flight for the first time ever". The Verge. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  7. ^ "The Space Review: Stratolaunch: SpaceShipThree or Space Goose?". www.thespacereview.com.
  8. ^ Kelley, Mike (December 15, 2011). "Dynetics to provide systems integration for new commercial space launch system". Huntsville Times. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Update: Vulcan Aerospace / Stratolaunch - SpaceFlight Insider". www.spaceflightinsider.com.
  10. ^ "Stratolaunch tests all six engines on its massive rocket-launching plane".
  11. ^ Foust, Jeff (April 15, 2015). "Stratolaunch Considering Using Multiple Launch". Space News. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Ellie Zolfagharifard (April 17, 2015). "Paul Allen launches 'Vulcan Aerospace': Microsoft founder says new company will get biggest plane in history off the ground –and it could launch astronauts into space". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  13. ^ "Vulcan Aerospace Corporation in Seattle, WA - Company Info & Reviews". Bizapedia.com.
  14. ^ "Paul Allen Launches 'Vulcan Aerospace' to Boost Private Space Travel".
  15. ^ Stratolaunch’s Plans Up in the Air, Jeff Foust, SpaceNews, 18 November 2015, accessed 28 November 2015.
  16. ^ a b CNN, Phil Gast. "World's largest airplane is rolled out". CNN. Retrieved June 1, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  17. ^ GeekWire, Alan Boyle. "Paul Allen's Stratolaunch space venture puts monster plane through first taxi test". Geekwire. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  18. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (January 18, 2019). "Stratolaunch abandons launch vehicle program". SpaceNews. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  19. ^ https://www.flightradar24.com/202483ad
  20. ^ a b "Paul Allen's colossal Stratolaunch plane emerges from its lair". May 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "Billionaire Paul Allen ramps up Stratolaunch's taxi speed in new tests".
  22. ^ Wall, Mike (October 29, 2018). "Stratolaunch's Rocket Carrier, the Biggest Airplane Ever Built, Aces Fastest Runway Test Yet". space.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  23. ^ Alan Boyle (January 9, 2018). "Stratolaunch gets world's biggest airplane ready for takeoff with 136 mph taxi test". Geekwire. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  24. ^ https://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-airplane-nears-first-flight/
  25. ^ [1]
  26. ^ Dan Leone (November 30, 2012). "Orbital Sciences Replaces SpaceX on Stratolaunch Project". Space News.
  27. ^ "Orbital Sciences Replaces SpaceX on Stratolaunch Project". SpaceNews.com. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  28. ^ Bergin, Chris (May 25, 2013). "Stratolaunch and Orbital – The Height of Air Launch". NASA SpaceFlight. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  29. ^ "Aerojet Rocketdyne to Provide Upper-Stage Propulsion for Revolutionary Eagles Launch System - Aerojet Rocketdyne". www.rocket.com.
  30. ^ "Stratolaunch to launch Pegasus rockets - SpaceNews.com". October 6, 2016.
  31. ^ http://spacenews.com/nasa-agreement-sign-of-stratolaunch-engine-development-program/
  32. ^ Stratolaunch (November 6, 2018). "Stratolaunch Completes First, Full-Scale Preburner Test on PGA Engine". stratolaunch.com. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  33. ^ Shah, Saqib (November 7, 2018). "Stratolaunch successfully tests a core component of its rocket engines". engadget.com. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  34. ^ "NASA Chooses American Companies to Transport U.S. Astronauts to International Space Station". NASA. September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  35. ^ "Sierra Nevada and Stratolaunch Team Up on Dream Chaser Space Plane". NBC News. October 1, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  36. ^ Gebhardt, Chris (November 26, 2014). "SNC, Stratolaunch expand on proposed Dream Chaser flights". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  37. ^ Christian Davenport (March 6, 2018). "Why is Paul Allen building the world's largest airplane? Perhaps to launch a space shuttle called Black Ice". Washington Post.
  38. ^ "Stratolaunch Systems Signs Lease with Mojave Air and Space Port" (Press release). Huntsville, Alabama: Stratolaunch Systems. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2011. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Stratolaunch News". stratolaunchsystems.com.
  40. ^ Lindsay, Clark (October 23, 2012). "Stratolaunch opens production facility at Mojave spaceport". NewSpace Watch. Retrieved October 27, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ Messier, Doug (November 5, 2012). "A Birdzilla's Eye View of the Stratolaunch Hangar Under Construction". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  42. ^ Messier, Doug (February 20, 2013). "Stratolaunch Systems Opens Hangar in Mojave". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  43. ^ "Meet the Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane". www.cnet.com. Cnet. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference robb20171112 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Brownell, Bradley (April 13, 2019). "World's Largest Plane Takes Off For The First Time". Jalopnik. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
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