Wed, Feb 18, 2004
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.
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