Difference between revisions of "XCOR Aerospace"
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| − | Founded in 1999, '''XCOR Aerospace''' | + | Founded in 1999, '''XCOR Aerospace''' was a California company which specialized in the design and production of high reliability and low cost rocket engines. |
| − | + | Their collaboration with [[NASA]] and [[Alliant Techsystems|ATK]] to develop [[methane]]-oxygen engines resulted in the successful construction and test-firing of their XR5M15 engine designed for spacecraft main propulsion. | |
| + | |||
| + | XCOR filed for bankruptcy in 2017<ref>Foust J. (2017, Nov 9). XCOR Aerospace files for bankruptcy. ''SpaceNews''. <nowiki>https://spacenews.com/xcor-aerospace-files-for-bankruptcy/</nowiki></ref>. Its assets were purchased by Build a Plane, a nonprofit educational organization<ref>Messier D. (2018, Apr 20). Bankrupt Spaceflight Company's Space Plane Assets to Help Young Minds Soar. ''Space.com''. <nowiki>https://www.space.com/40352-xcor-aerospace-lynx-space-plan-stem-education.html</nowiki> </ref>. | ||
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| + | ==XR5M15== | ||
| + | [[Image:XCOR-5M15-prototype.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The XR5M15 prototype]] | ||
| + | [[Image:XCOR-5M15-testfire.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Test-firing the XR5M15 at [[Mojave Spaceport]]]] | ||
| + | The '''XR5M15''' was one of XCOR's most powerful engine designs, with a rated thrust of 7500 lbf (33.4 kN). | ||
| + | |||
| + | This prototype engine was developed as a partnership between XCOR and ATK for NASA as part of the [[Vision for Space Exploration]]. It was intended to provide propulsion for return flights from the Moon and Mars, as well as for in-space maneuvering. The design built upon their smaller XR3M9 LOX/methane engine, and reused elements from many of their other designs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | As it is fueled by [[methane]] and LOX, this type of engine has a great deal of potential use for proposed Mars missions due to the possibility of producing methane on the Martian surface from locally available materials. | ||
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| + | ==See Also== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[[Vision for Space Exploration]] | ||
| + | *[[Alliant Techsystems]] | ||
| + | *[[Methane]] | ||
| + | *[[BFR]] | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
| − | *[http:// | + | |
| + | *[http://web.archive.org/web/20180521012234/https://xcor.com/ Internet Archive snapshot of XCOR website (May 21, 2018)] | ||
| + | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XCOR XCOR Wikipedia page] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:Exploration Transport Systems]] | ||
Latest revision as of 10:59, 17 December 2018
Founded in 1999, XCOR Aerospace was a California company which specialized in the design and production of high reliability and low cost rocket engines.
Their collaboration with NASA and ATK to develop methane-oxygen engines resulted in the successful construction and test-firing of their XR5M15 engine designed for spacecraft main propulsion.
XCOR filed for bankruptcy in 2017[1]. Its assets were purchased by Build a Plane, a nonprofit educational organization[2].
XR5M15
The XR5M15 was one of XCOR's most powerful engine designs, with a rated thrust of 7500 lbf (33.4 kN).
This prototype engine was developed as a partnership between XCOR and ATK for NASA as part of the Vision for Space Exploration. It was intended to provide propulsion for return flights from the Moon and Mars, as well as for in-space maneuvering. The design built upon their smaller XR3M9 LOX/methane engine, and reused elements from many of their other designs.
As it is fueled by methane and LOX, this type of engine has a great deal of potential use for proposed Mars missions due to the possibility of producing methane on the Martian surface from locally available materials.
