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Test Flight Of Space-Hopper Reusable Launch Vehicle

Posted by timothy on from the clean-up-and-sell-again dept.

!splut writes: "A New Scientist article reports that Pheonix, the prototype of a new reusable space launch vehicle nicknamed the Space-Hopper, has been cleared for its first test flight. The vehicle is designed to take off horizontally and use a disposable booster to reach orbit, though the prototype will be dropped from a helicopter for the test flight. If the European Space Agency decides to continue development it could reduce the cost of launching small to medium-sized satellites, and could be ready by 2015." A better story is running at space.com.

6 of 10 comments (clear)

  1. Continue developement? by reverius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The chances of this succeeding sound slim to me... maybe I'm just being pessimistic, but budgets for space projects have been small lately.

    Seems that in this type of economy, interesting government-funded space and scientific projects are the first to be cut...

    1. Re:Continue developement? by capt.Hij · · Score: 2

      It's not a bad economic strategy. Let the US and the old Soviets develop the technology for reusable orbital systems. But then again, why did they wait this long? The article says it won't be in place until 2015!

  2. Space Hoppers?! 1970s technology... by dpp · · Score: 4, Funny

    But, but, but... how can a design like this possibly reach orbit?! :-)

    --
    This post is strictly my own opinion and not necessarily that of my employer.
  3. Good for the European Space agency! by uncoveror · · Score: 2, Informative

    An unmanned, horizontally launching, space shuttle. Good for the European Space Agency! NASA's low-tech cost-cutting plan, the X-4000 Launch Aparatus might be the best we can do here in the states.

    --
    The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
  4. Re:too bad.... by seanellis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You will have noticed that, during the big press conference when the winning design for the X-33 was announced, that the audience was basically silent except for a collective intake of breath.

    There was then much muttering about political pressure, pork barrels, etc. and the chosen X-33 design was finally dumped.

    The X-33 concept that was apparently the favorite amongst the engineering community was the vertical take-off, vertical landing "DC-Y" concept. This was a evolution of the DC-X prototype which had already been demonstrated.
    (see http://gargravarr.cc.utexas.edu/ssrt/images/ and http://members.aol.com/Nathan2go/X33.htm)

    VTVL has a big advantage over HTHL designs - all the stresses are in virtuall the same direction all the time. You can therefore make a much lighter design - especially true in a single stage to orbit design.

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    Sean Ellis
    Follow OfQuack's antics on Twitter.
  5. One Word... by Skip666Kent · · Score: 2

    Flubber.

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    **>>BELCH