Hypersonic flights of the experimental American space drone XS-1 (Experimental Spaceplane 1) are scheduled for late 2017 or early 2018. DARPA - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an agent of the US Department of Defense, is continuing its work on this project. It is reported that an experimental space plane that can fly at hypersonic speeds will indeed be built. It is planned that in a series of tests, the machine will have to make 10 flights over 10 days in a row.
According to representatives of the agency DARPA, the spacecraft will be able to take off from the Earth for the first time after all the necessary tests, around the end of 2017. The program is recognized as very promising. It is well known that for the launch and subsequent operation of the aircraft, significantly less effort and money will be required than for launching carrier rockets. Moreover, it is the latter that are currently injecting satellites into near-earth orbit. Developed countries spend huge financial resources on these elementary, in fact, missions. One of the main goals of creating the XS-1 program at DARPA is precisely the solution to the financial problem.
As part of the implementation of this program, it is planned to build the first autonomous hypersonic spacecraft, which will fly like a conventional aircraft, but at the same time it will also be able to launch satellites into low Earth orbit at a stage separated from the spacecraft. In July 2014, DARPA representatives announced the first phase of their project, within which all the necessary contracts will be signed. The agency's long-term plans are to ensure that the XS-1 unmanned spacecraft will be able to complete 10 flights in 10 days, at least in one flight reaching a speed of M = 10 (M is the Mach number). The cost of each completed flight should not exceed $ 5 million (about 180 million rubles). In this case, the device will have to carry on board a payload weighing from 1, 36 to 2, 37 tons.
It is assumed that the second stage of the launch vehicle will release the payload at suborbital flight altitude as soon as it can detach from the main body. The unmanned vehicle itself will return back to Earth and almost immediately begin to prepare for the next flights. DARPA representatives say they are going to fund the work of three companies that will work to create their own demonstrators of the XS-1 unmanned spacecraft. The funds will be provided to Northrop Grumman Corporation, which is affiliated with Virgin Galactic, Masten Space Systems, which is affiliated with XCOR Aerospace, and Boeing, which is affiliated with Blue Origin.
Jess Sponeable, DARPA Program Manager, notes that the choice of executors was driven by the fact that they will be able to ideally integrate existing technologies with the technological solutions of the future. They will be able to create an unmanned spacecraft that is concise, reliable and easy to use, as well as cost effective. It is reported that the project will be evaluated according to a number of criteria, including a low budget for implementation and operation, feasibility in practice, productivity. In addition, the potential for using the device for military, commercial and civil purposes will be taken into account.
Among the companies selected for participation in the program, Boeing already has the necessary experience in creating a robotic unmanned aircraft for the needs of the US military. Boeing experts have created the X-37B unmanned spacecraft for the US Air Force, which has been used for secret military missions since December 2012. The new contract with the agency DARPA, according to representatives of the Boeing company, is estimated at $ 4 million (approximately 144 million rubles).
In the first phase of the project, along with the design for the demonstration model, it will be necessary to "develop a technology development plan related to the production of the spacecraft and flight tests", as well as "reduce the riskiness of the main technologies." At the same time, the Defense Research Agency has sufficient funds to finance the work of one of the contractors based on the results of the tender. At the same time, American officials are expressing the hope that more than one space drone will undergo flight tests. Jess Sponeable also said that he would be extremely happy to cooperate with the US Air Force and NASA.
The first stage of the program provides for the development of a mass-dimensional model by the companies participating in the project. As part of this stage, all the necessary calculations must be performed to reduce risks during the development, assembly and testing of the main systems, components and technologies of the novelty. Also, the companies will have to submit for discussion a plan for technical improvement of the XS-1 spacecraft for its first flight.
Following the results of the competition, which is to be held in 2015, it is planned to sign a contract for the implementation of the second stage of the ambitious program. The second phase of the project will be to award the winner of the competition to the company and to demonstrate the first prototype of the XS-1 spacecraft. At the same time, according to plans, 2 years after the demonstration, it will be necessary to start flight tests of the novelty, and in 2018 to organize the first orbital flight. Upon completion of the test flight program, the winning company will receive a valid contract for small-scale production of the model.
Information that the DARPA agency expects to create an unmanned reusable spacecraft appeared back in February this year. The promising spacecraft is planned to be used to deliver various cargo and equipment to low-earth orbit. The main advantage of the project is the price of one launch of the device, which should not exceed $ 5 million. Another important condition is that the XS-1 unmanned spacecraft should not need repair and maintenance during a series of launches. The use of modular solutions in the XS-1, automatic control of launch, flight and landing, durable thermal protection systems will significantly reduce the need for material and technical support of the device, which will give a real opportunity to reduce the interval between flights of a suborbital vehicle.
For example: today, the American Air Force uses four-stage Minotaur IV launch vehicles to deliver small satellites into Earth's orbit. The payload of these missiles is 1.73 tons, and the price of one launch of such a missile is currently about $ 55 million. Thus, the cost of launches using the XS-1 will be at least 10 times lower than the cost of all currently available launch systems. The Department of Defense and the US government have high hopes for the new space drone, hoping to seriously develop the space services market.
