New X-Prize Design Joins The Pack

IL Aerospace Technologies (ILAT) has unveiled its new X Prize competition vehicle design now called "NEGEV" (formerly named NEGEV-5). This vehicle will be a self-sufficient reusable sub-orbital space craft capable of being launched and recovered anywhere in the world from land or sea without the need of runways, assist aircraft, costly installations or complicated procedures.

The Negev 5 will be launched from ground level using ILAT's own fully reusable High- Altitude Launch Platform (HALP). The concept allows the vehicle to hitchhike a free ride on a large stratospheric balloon filled with helium to its intended rocket launch altitude of 25 Km (82K ft) above mean sea level. Most of the atmospheric drag will be overcome while saving precious fuel. ILAT claims the HALP concept makes it possible to design a smaller, lighter and more efficient vehicle; satisfying the criteria for practical low-cost space access.

The NEGEV has gone through several design iterations in the last 3 months. After several brainstorming and design review sessions, the engineering team opted to keep their original concept of using a balloon as a first stage, but not without significant changes. The advantages of using such launch platform clearly outweigh the disadvantages in terms of simplicity and cost efficiency. However, in order to meet their new requirements for a lower altitude takeoff, engineers decided to use a smaller more robust hot-air/helium mixed "rozier" design rather than the larger, more fragile, polyurethane super-pressure design. The engineering team hopes this modified design will pay off.

ILAT is Israel's first entry in the X PRIZE Competition and is in a quest for the first manned, non-government private/commercial space flight. The X PRIZE is a $10,000,000 prize to jump-start the space tourism industry through competition among the most talented entrepreneurs and rocket experts in the world. The X PRIZE challenges its competitors to launch a reusable manned rocket into space. The sub-orbital flights to space must reach a minimum altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) twice within a 2-week period.

FMI: www.ilat.net