Time for an update on the
progress around the XCOR. This puts the company firmly into the engine
development business with the resources to build out hugely improved engines
for the aerospace industry. Check
previous posts to see the past demonstrations. (google XCOR on this site.
We can expect to see a line of
engines with different power ratings come quickly although they are surely waiting
for a shoe to drop somewhere. It appears to this outsider to be going
wonderfully.
XCOR and ULA Demonstrate Revolutionary Rocket Engine Nozzle Technology;
Also Sign Contract for Liquid Hydrogen Engine Development
XCOR test fires its Lynx 5K18 engine with lightweight aluminum nozzle;
United Launch Alliance
(LH2) pump technology to new LH2 engine development. (Photo
Credit: Mike Massee / XCOR)
March 22, 2011, Centennial, CO, and Mojave, CA, USA : United Launch Alliance
Under a 2010 joint risk-reduction program by XCOR and ULA, ULA facilitated an accelerated demonstration of the nozzle technology, which was developed in XCOR's Lynx reusable, suborbital-vehicle technology program. ULA sought to determine the nozzle technology's applicability to future expendable launch vehicle programs. Earlier in the same risk-reduction program, XCOR demonstrated the ability to pump liquid hydrogen (LH2) using cryogenic piston-pump technology it developed for the Lynx suborbital vehicle.
Based on the results of these successful technology demonstrations, ULA today announced a larger follow-on program with XCOR to develop a liquid oxygen (LOX)/LH2 engine.
Conceived as a lower-cost, risk-managed program compared to traditional engine development efforts, the multi-year project's main objective is to produce a flight-ready LOX/LH2 upper-stage engine in the 25,000 to 30,000 lbf thrust class that costs significantly less to produce and is easier to operate and integrate than competing engine technologies. If successful, the effort will lead to significantly lower-cost and more-capable commercial and
"ULA understands that we have to offer competitive prices to our government and commercial customers along with the outstanding and unmatched reliability they expect from us," said Dr. George Sowers, vice president of business development and advanced programs at ULA. "By working with XCOR, we see the potential to develop engines that offer the performance and reliability our customers need at a more affordable price."
XCOR Lynx 5K18 main engine being prepped for a test series.
The companies structured their LOX/LH2 engine development program
with multiple "go / no-go" decision points and performance milestones
to ensure a cost-effective and risk-managed approach to this challenging
effort. As demonstrated during prior ULA and XCOR joint engagements,
XCOR's small-company environment facilitates rapid turnaround for build and
test cycles that drive innovative learning, while ULA's small company project
management approach ensures their needs are met but does not stifle the
creative process or saddle XCOR with excessive paperwork burdens typical of
large government contracts. In addition, ULA is helping to bolster the Tier 2
and Tier 3 aerospace-industrial supply chain in the United
States , which is critical to ensuring the United States
"This announcement validates XCOR's business mantra of 'stay
focused on propulsion, Lynx and the customer' and ULA is a great
customer," said Andrew Nelson, Chief Operating Officer at XCOR. "And
when you have innovative, safe, low-cost and fully reusable technologies that
fly multiple times a day, those technologies will find other buyers, such as
ULA. Whether it is non-toxic thrusters, fully reusable main-engine propulsion,
cryogenic flight-weight piston pumps, or non-flammable cryogenically compatible
composite tanks and structures - the future looks bright for XCOR."
The demonstrations announced today are from integrated engine/nozzle
test firings with XCOR's Lynx 5K18 LOX/kerosene engine. The engine/nozzle
combination demonstrates the ability of the aluminum nozzle to withstand the
high temperatures of rocket-engine exhaust over numerous tests, with no
discernable degradation of the material properties of the alloys. The
tests validated the design, materials and manufacturing processes used in the
nozzle, and laid a foundation for scaling the design to EELV-sized engines. The
results also demonstrate the reusability of the engine and nozzle combination
which is essential for low-cost, daily suborbital flights by the Lynx and other
vehicles.
"We are honored to work with the great team of individuals at ULA,
a Tier 1 aerospace supplier," said Jeff Greason, XCOR CEO. "The
critical engine technology we're developing for ULA may one day launch
satellites, capsules and space stations for government and commercial
customers. Customers such as the US
# # # # #
United Launch Alliance - 50-50 joint venture owned by
Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company - is the nation's rocket company,
bringing together two of the launch industry's most experienced and successful
teams - Atlas and Delta. ULA provides reliable, cost-efficient space launch
services for the Department of Defense, NASA, the National Reconnaissance
Office and other commercial organizations. ULA program management, engineering,
test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo.
Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala.
and Harlingen, Tex. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. For more information on
the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com.
XCOR Aerospace is located in Mojave,
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