When
the gates open on the X Prize Cup next month at the Las Cruces International
Airport, New Mexico, visitors will get a first-hand feel for a new type of
super-slick speedster--the rocket racer.
The
Rocket Racing League is pushing the throttle forward in the development of a
new sport--a NASCAR-style racing league utilizing rocket-powered aircraft flown
by pilots through a "three-dimensional track" that's plainly sky-high.
For
the motorsport-challenged among you, NASCAR stands for the National Association
for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the largest sanctioned venue of its type in
the United States. While NASCAR takes it to the roadway, the Rocket Racing
League takes it to the air. The League is power-charged to accelerate
technology in the areas of airframe, propulsion and spacecraft design--and have
flat out fun at the same time.
Pit stops
In
the early years of this new sport, each rocket-powered X-Racer will be based on
an existing airframe, but modified to carry a 1,500 pound thrust rocket engine
burning liquid oxygen and kerosene. The single-pilot, first generation Mark-1
X-Racer is expected to reach maximum speeds of more than 320 miles per hour.
X-Racers
are designed to be rapidly refueled, a pit stop that would be on the order of
five to ten minutes. Even faster refueling techniques are expected to be
mastered as the Rocket Racing League develops over time.
Individual
X-Racers will be capable of roughly four minutes of intermittent engine boost
and 10 minutes of un-powered flight. That will permit three to four laps around
the air course between pit stops.
The
virtual airspace that X-Racers will speed through is some 10,000 feet long,
3,000 feet wide and 5,000 feet high. Pilots will navigate the course through
use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology and a heads-up
display within the cockpit. This virtual course may be supplemented with real
obstacles such as inflatable pylons and balloons, as well as spotlights and
lasers during nighttime races.
Technology: on track
Now
busily at work on the Mark-1 X-Racer engine is XCOR Aerospace, headquartered in
Mojave, California and known for its expertise in safe, reliable and reusable
rocket engine development.
Jeff
Greason, President of XCOR Aerospace, has noted that progress is being made on
the rocket racer motor--including static test firings to 100 percent thrust on
the engine. "We are proceeding with power plant development leading to safe,
successful flight," Greason said in a recent XCOR press statement.
"We
have fired the rocket motor for the racer repeatedly...and it's running within
our time schedule," said James Busby of XCOR's media relations. The official
designation of the liquid oxygen/kerosene powered engine is the XR4K14, he
advised SPACE.com.
While
progress is in the wind, the Rocket Racing League has raised a yellow flag on
flying the Mark-1 X-Racer during the X Prize Cup festivities October 20-21 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The League had hoped to accelerate the development schedule ahead
of the vendor's commitment, but that has not been possible.
"We're
holding off on flying until we're prepared from a business standpoint...it has
nothing to do with the technology," said Granger Whitelaw, Chief Executive
Officer for the Rocket Racing League. "The technology is 100 percent there. The
vehicle and the engine are on track as far as that goes," he told SPACE.com.
The
Rocket Racing League has already taken delivery of its company-owned Mark-1
X-Racer trainer, crafted by Velocity, Inc. of Sebastian, Florida. This plane--powered
by piston engine--eventually to be replaced by rocket engine--will serve as a
training vehicle for rocket racing pilots. A second Velocity, already owned by
the League, is currently undergoing modifications, including the installation
of a rocket engine, by XCOR Aerospace.
Competitive environment
Creating
a brand-new 21st century sport like rocket racing is not without its
challenges, Whitelaw explained. He's no stranger to blending business with high-speed
hardware as a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion team partner.
"Just
pulling everything together at the same time...it's all about execution for us,"
Whitelaw said. "There are so many different pieces that we're doing to bring
out a major brand...a major sport in the aerospace/aeronautics world."
The
Rocket Racing League was co-founded and chaired by X Prize founder Peter
Diamandis.
Whitelaw
highlighted the League's push in technology innovation. The competitive
environment, the high-heat from racing conditions, and the professional
feedback from the pilots - all this and other aspects allows the Rocket Racing
League to serve as a test bed for research and development.
"There
has never been that environment for aerospace or aeronautics...and now there's
going to be," Whitelaw added.
Over
the next week or two, as well as at October's X Prize Cup, Whitelaw concluded,
standby for surprises. "We have some exciting things we're going to be
announcing...so stay tuned."
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