Mon, Aug 18, 2008
Signs Rocket Motor Development Contract
SpaceDev announced Monday it has
signed a multi-year contract with Scaled Composites to assist
Scaled in the development of a production rocket motor for the
first commercial space vehicle designed for space tourism,
SpaceShipTwo.
"We are thrilled to once again be part of the Scaled
Composites/Virgin Galactic team and to be able to assist the team
on this historic aviation and space endeavor," said Mark N.
Sirangelo, Chairman and CEO of SpaceDev. "Burt Rutan, Doug Shane
and the Scaled team have yet again created an outstanding design
that will be the first commercial venture to open space to large
numbers of the public."
Under the contract, SpaceDev will be the lead rocket motor team
member for SpaceShipTwo and will collaborate with Scaled's internal
design team to develop a production ready hybrid rocket motor. The
SpaceDev teaming will be similar to that done from 2001 through
2004 on the SpaceShipOne program, in that SpaceDev will be
providing engineering services to refine the design of the hybrid
rocket motor being developed by Scaled Composites, as well as
providing the development, manufacture and integration of key
rocket motor system components.
SpaceDev will also conduct ground tests on those motor
components and will be working to assist Scaled in the full-scale
rocket test program both on the ground and during SpaceShipTwo
flight tests. The contract, which runs through 2012, has an initial
value of approximately $15 million for work to be primarily
completed over the next two years.
"Scaled and SpaceDev have worked together successfully in the
past and we are very pleased to welcome them back onto the team,"
commented Doug Shane, President of Scaled Composites. "We look
forward to a long relationship that will result in the successful
initiation of commercial human space travel."
SpaceShipTwo is being designed by Scaled for Virgin Galactic and
is part of a complete space system that also includes the recently
unveiled WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft. The WhiteKnightTwo
aircraft will ferry SpaceShipTwo and thousands of private
astronauts, science packages and payloads as the first stage of
Virgin Galactic's sub-orbital space experience.
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