Rocketplane Kistler and ATK Announce Agreement for K-1 Launch Vehicle and COTS Program
ATK Will Lead Vehicle Development, Vehicle Assembly, Integration and Test, and Launch and Landing Site Operations
Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City, November 8, 2006 – Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced today that ATK will become the lead contractor for RpK’s K-1 launch vehicle, which was recently awarded a Space Act Agreement by NASA for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The K-1 is a fully reusable space transportation system designed to provide cost-effective and reliable transport of cargo and science payloads to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
Under terms of the agreement, ATK will provide launch vehicle development, assembly, integration and test of the launch system, and will conduct launch and landing site development and launch vehicle preparation for the K-1. ATK will also develop and produce critical composite structures and subsystems for the pressurized and unpressurized K-1 cargo modules, and conduct vehicle recovery and refurbishment.
“ATK is a great partner with demonstrated experience and skills that strengthen our team,” said Randy Brinkley, RpK President. “We look forward to the capabilities this partnership will contribute to the K-1 vehicle, and also the COTS program.”
“We look forward to helping RpK develop this new launch capability,” said Ron Dittemore, President, ATK Launch Systems Group. “A tenet of the Space Policy encourages entrepreneurial efforts to develop commercial access to space, and it is our intention to help RpK achieve this objective.”
Hier gibt es eine PowerPointPräsentation zu Rocketplane Kistler:dein link führt zu einem 404 file not found :( kannst du du die präsentation mal an einen post anhängen?
http://ast.faa.gov/ppt/COMSTAC/Wilbur_Trafton-Rocketplane_Kistler.ppt
Folgende neue Informationen:
- die vollständig wiederverwendbare Kistler K-1 kann 9 Tage nach der Rückkehr zur Erde wieder starten
- die verschiedenen Teile der Rakete sind zwischen 65% und 90 % fertig
- die K-1 kann auch Satelliten einfangen und zurück zur Erde bringen
Des weiteren gibt es natürlich noch jede Menge hübscher Fotos von Triebwerken, Tanks etc..
Na ja, man baut eigentlich auf der Erprobten Technik auf. Laut dem Artickel sind die NK-triebwerke merhr erprobt als es bei SSMEs der Fall ist.
Die Probleme beim Kistler scheinen wo anderes zu legen.
Rocketplane Kistler & Nasa Sign Space Act Agreement To Assemble The Cots K-1 Space Transportation System In New Orleans
Oklahoma City, OK, March 29, 2007 – Rocketplane Kistler, Inc. (RpK) announced today that a Space Act Agreement (SAA) has been established with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to use NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, LA for the assembly of the K-1 Space Transportation System.
The agreement between NASA and RpK will employ up to 200 highly skilled workers at the Michoud facility, with another estimated 100 RpK subcontractor personnel residing in New Orleans during assembly and checkout phases.
Randy Brinkley, President of RpK, said, “The NASA Michoud Assembly Facility has proven itself to have exceptional people and facilities. We are very pleased with the progress being made by the very talented team at Michoud. We hope the K-1 Space Transportation System is the first of many commercial space programs to utilize this unique facility.”
Lockheed Martin will assemble and perform system testing of both first and second stages of the K-1 Space Transportation System at MAF. Additionally, they will assemble and check out both the pressurized and un-pressurized cargo modules. These cargo modules will demonstrate RpK's ability to safely and reliably berth with the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) program.
RPK is well underway in designing and "cutting metal" for the first K-1 vehicle. Liquid oxygen tanks built by Lockheed Martin for both the first and second stages are already at the Michoud facility ready for installation. External panels from Northrop Grumman have arrived and will be soon be readied for assembly.
Bob Simms, Lockheed Martin K-1 Program Manager, added, "We are pleased that RpK selected Michoud as the site for final assembly and checkout of the vehicle, and excited to resume working on a program that is part of America's space launch future".
Rocketplane Kistler’s K-1 space transportation system was awarded a NASA COTS Space Act Agreement. RpK will employ its fully reusable K-1 to provide cost-effective and reliable delivery and return of cargo and science payloads to and from the International Space Station. The K-1 is in an advanced stage of development and will be capable of providing end-to-end ISS servicing beginning in early 2009.
Also jetzt doch wieder die "Platzhirsche" der Branche? Oder wie ist diese Meldung zu verstehen?
Also jetzt doch wieder die "Platzhirsche" der Branche? Oder wie ist diese Meldung zu verstehen?Ich verstehe sowieso nichrt, warum z.B. Lockheed Martin nicht selber ein Raumschiff baut um damit SpaceTourismus zu betreiben. Das Know-How haben Sie, das Geld zum investieren auch. Warum überläst so ein riesiger und in der Branche etablierter Konzern ein ganzes Marktsegment irgendwelchen newcomern?
Halloschau mal hier: http://www.rocketplanekistler.com/k1vehicle/specs_performance.html
Wisst ihr was für Leistungsdaten die Kistler hat.(Schub,Ausströmgeschwindigkeit...)
....Kistler Aerospace, now called Rocketplane Kistler (RpK), designed their K-1 rocket around three NK-33s and an NK-43. On August 18, 2006, NASA announced that RpK had been chosen to develop Commercial Orbital Transportation Services for the International Space Station...
.. und US-Unternehmen plannen und wissen diese zu verwenden..sogar besser als die Russlands-firmen selbst.