Lockheed Martin has tested a prototype reusable launch system by
flying a sub-scale flight demonstrator from the site of New Mexico's proposed
Spaceport America.
The successful test flight of the
proprietary vehicle took place in December and was only
recently disclosed. A company official said Lockheed Martin is planning more
tests using ever-larger vehicles.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems teamed with
launch
provider UP Aerospace of Highlands Ranch, Colo., Dec. 19 to conduct a small demonstration
launch at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico to evaluate proprietary
technology the company currently has under development.
Test a little, fly a little
The winged
craft soared skyward from a launch rail to an altitude of roughly 3,001 feet (915
meters) and was recovered shortly after the
test flight, said Al Simpson, acting director, Advanced Programs, Human Space
Flight for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. near Denver.
Simpson
told SPACE.com in an April 17 telephone interview that the company is
spending internal research and development money on the project to develop rapid,
responsive, call-up to launch attributes - and at lower cost.
"This is a
test a little, fly a little" effort, Simpson said. "You grow and build up over time.
That way you are buying down risk incrementally ... not trying to leap into what
I call the big system development right off the bat," he said.
The
self-propelled vehicle flown in December is based on some five years of internal research and
development, incubated in a mini- Skunk Works-like environment, Simpson said,
referring to the company's legendary facility in California that is famous for
turning out high-tech vehicles in relative secrecy.
"The key
here is let's actually prove it [rapid, responsive, and lower-cost launch] ...
that there is a path here as opposed to making statements in Powerpoint," he
added.
Small checkout and launch crew
While the
project has a name, Simpson said the name is under wraps for now. In addition, the craft's propulsion system is not
being revealed at this time, he said.
The vehicle
flown in December is 8 feet (2.4 meters)
long with a wingspan of about 6 feet (1.8 meters), Simpson said. Processing and
checking out the vehicle followed by liftoff was completed in a three-day
period, utilizing a small checkout and launch crew, he noted.
"We are planning on additional
testing down at Spaceport America this year ... as we flush out and explore elements of the
technology that we are trying to develop," Simpson said, citing examples such
as avionics and guidance technology. The approximately one-fifth scale vehicle
will be reflown this year, he said, working up
to a larger-sized vehicle to be first launched next
year.
A
development roadmap for the autonomously controlled, pilotless space plane is
spread out over a three- to four-year period, Simpson said, leading to the
fielding of a larger-scale system, one that lowers the price tag of lofting
satellites into Earth orbit.
"The secret
test flight last December was a Lockheed Martin research vehicle that UP
Aerospace launched using our ground operations equipment, launcher and three
man launch crew," said Jerry Larson, president of UP Aerospace
Inc. "Telemetry systems tracked the vehicle through the entire flight and
we recovered and returned the vehicle to Lockheed Martin in just a few hours ...
a very happy customer," Larson told SPACE.com in an April 16 e-mail.
Lockheed
Martin has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Mexico Spaceport
Authority (NMSA) to conduct future
testing at Spaceport America, according to an April 15 NMSA press
statement.
Completion of Spaceport America -
which New Mexico officials proudly call the first spaceport built to handle
commercial space operations - currently is planned for some time in
2010.
Having the relationship with
Lockheed Martin validates the concept behind commercial space activity, "and
proves that Spaceport America can deliver on the promise of lower cost, quicker
turnaround launch activity," NMSA Executive Director Steve
Landeene said in the April 15 press statement.
According
to Landeene, spaceport planning and design work is nearly complete, and the
first bid package for construction work is being prepared for release. Construction
on the spaceport, he said, can begin once the NMSA receives their site
operator's license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Lockheed
Martin launch activity will continue in 2008 under the amateur class prior to
the Federal Aviation Administration vertical launch site license expected
in 2009, NMSA noted in its press statement.
Lockheed
Martin's Simpson said using Spaceport America is ideal for
conducting flight activities, proving to be convenient, easy and simple.
"You need
something lean and mean ... and that's what they offered," Simpson added.
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