Group Developed Reusable Launch Vehicle In The 1990s

Fourty current and former employees of Aerojet Rocketdyne have been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame (ISHF). All of the honored employees served as members of the original Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X/DC-XA) team which helped develop an unmanned prototype of a reusable single-stage launch vehicle in the 1990s.

"This is a tremendous honor for everyone involved in the DC-X/DC-XA team," said Warren Boley, Aerojet Rocketdyne president. "It was the result of a team effort that included industry, government, consultants, individual supporters and support groups from around the world. It required imagination, achievement and dedication to further advance knowledge of the universe, and the ability to explore and develop space."
 
The Delta Clipper was designed to verify vertical takeoff and landing, validate airplane-like supportability and maintainability, and demonstrate reusability, subsonic maneuverability and the rapid prototyping development approach. The vehicle flew a total of 12 flights — eight under the McDonnell Douglas test program and four under the auspices of NASA as the DC-XA.
 
The DC-X/DC-XA team was the first group ever inducted into the ISHF. The induction ceremony occurred on Aug. 17 at the New Mexico State University in Alamogordo, N.M. The DC-X/DC-XA team joined a prestigious group of 154 other inductees, including Neil Armstrong, Gene Kranz, Gene Cernan, Nicolaus Copernicus and Wernher von Braun.

(DC-XA image provided by NASA)

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